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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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$ g. L/ p7 m: W& P$ sThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. & S) r, e3 m, X& b
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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. % h6 J7 T+ R" P' T: f/ [! L( T" P# ~
5 T+ ~8 X: C$ j7 k5 ^, ]- TMandel 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. 0 x L( ?# \: M
3 k" b" }' P* N* |4 o6 D5 a4 {6 _6 ~"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. % J) k& U& p3 L5 u( V
) T5 E6 S1 \ [City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
; m9 S) T. `4 R. g9 y"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. % ?. J& k3 }7 c( a: j
" t2 o- u9 E2 y6 H3 dA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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5 K( m6 Q3 Z, s$ ~* y* g% v3 T/ g"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. ( Q. f( B1 l# {5 a/ `2 j4 l! Q
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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. % A4 K1 B2 v) b {6 x4 n1 Y7 _2 S
" ]. M: d6 B% H" _4 g/ v6 eThe 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. ) Y6 i4 _! C9 H3 J
& p8 g5 X+ u4 j* I% J2 T( t"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. X8 \, h6 a6 f
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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.
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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. 5 ?, u0 ~3 k0 U- l8 T% q+ F
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He said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. 6 h+ A& ?( ~6 o0 X U
5 e: E2 @4 a2 j8 n8 E* t6 s"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said.
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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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$ G3 d( Q' z+ SThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said.
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The 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. . u, l, a5 _5 R2 E" V
! h# I9 q# G0 YTax 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
