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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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! D: A' S$ P) `Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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Edmontonians 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. 1 m- j& W# x' ^- V0 T# @
( h7 e7 G+ [0 W8 \/ q2 FMandel 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.
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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! L5 k/ R5 o0 {0 S9 c" ~! eCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
1 q4 N/ [; y8 i# H, |4 Q8 l"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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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. 6 m/ u& d3 G6 e8 x* [& M# I
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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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/ X0 q: a" g* i' y+ ^The draft budget does not come out until November. ( V- V) ~" ?; a" Y
, _# `1 ~/ W/ p, p2 G"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." . J9 H, Z# {/ k) [. z
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. 0 @- }4 c) e9 \# f* W7 r
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However, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. 4 G) R/ r/ N& U
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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.
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. $ K, q7 R" E9 Q" S4 V+ {
& ]4 {1 B3 U" Q q! U6 jHe 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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+ Y. M6 Q& ]* o+ p3 f# u"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 7 w# b0 \* e; N8 l
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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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* e6 s G2 y, yThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. $ j4 d" q# `$ M1 k
$ P% L& u! V3 m( dThe 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. ( F- P6 M) U3 M4 e
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Tax 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
