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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike$ P5 n! w7 C4 z( P) ~
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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.
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Mandel 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. # w& s! W' j- c( j+ a
; r; ?5 G" A1 SCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates5 ]0 l$ X7 a/ U M: d4 E
"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 $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. # H( r2 p0 [5 @' d; a% C! p% ^0 p
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The draft budget does not come out until November.
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"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said. % \3 e% Q ?$ P2 @, ~; n
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"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. ( B& s3 ?$ Z$ {0 Y3 R
% g( F+ x. {2 ?& d- R1 y. r. iHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. . O$ `" A5 T @" n! [5 H% e% r; s
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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. 4 u G' z! P+ L& c( m
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. 5 {# E8 A6 r9 y/ f m
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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. 2 V* [: u0 _( t! e# z% h
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"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said.
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D; ^8 r1 W# }( [2 x+ A3 J"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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( Q/ H1 }) ?; }. XThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. * V( Y, d T/ O3 a0 x
5 t% ^! ^5 V6 g6 y+ gThe 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. ( q% g/ L5 _$ P" D" M; U
6 r2 b: h" P7 ~ y: cTax 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
