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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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; C+ E: i$ t+ x, o8 w5 EThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. 7 |9 s+ n& y6 b& O$ K ]
, v5 P- c4 _- lEdmontonians could face a "scary" tax hike of up to 10% next year, Mayor Stephen Mandel said. That would be the highest property tax increase since the 1980s.
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" E8 M+ S/ V' h0 F7 I! gMandel tossed out the figure yesterday following a presentation by administration that outlined the intense economic pressures the city is facing as a result of Alberta's economic boom. 1 Z' b+ o3 \) C y, h4 k
. ^; A0 _, a' q+ f6 Q"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates) Z3 G% H# Y" s! X
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. & I* t0 ]7 ~( i4 J! X( Z. J- I# u
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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9 B6 g5 ~: T+ O, o3 LThe draft budget does not come out until November.
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"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said.
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." 6 @8 S1 ]: \' ~ w# N
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. 4 a) { ~6 S1 _3 d
% s1 u1 ]: N6 U7 A2 tHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks.
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"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program. ( u5 U/ U9 h5 n* v+ J9 L+ P
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. $ v3 s" T' S0 P9 U- m- n3 Q$ X* B9 Q
/ K( v4 [* Y6 ^0 lHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city.
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" q; `8 }) Z; g! \# L"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. * J* D! p5 \% n( f" B3 {
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"I don't know what some of these members of council are going to be able to say to some pensioner who got a 2% hike in their pension."
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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said.
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0 @# R5 Z }( ?& `$ qThe tax on homes will go up higher than average - about 7%. The figures include both municipal tax and the provincial education tax, which the city collects. # t) i% S# t+ Y6 k# e
9 ?: Z# `$ B. ~- DTax bills will be mailed May 25 and payments are due June 30. |
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发表于 2007-5-9 22:25
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发表于 2007-5-10 11:37
