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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike9 _: n5 O1 M6 b3 S" X; ]& q% J
) E$ S( P- ^8 Q! j+ k8 IThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. & [; J6 T( E4 t o4 n
& `. ~( v" y3 D7 _6 t; s2 h6 z3 uEdmontonians 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. + D+ ]2 ~: u7 R3 P6 J' `# j
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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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# J4 }% h1 Z& p9 s"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. 8 V2 U! a1 ~% a+ [2 d! i2 g0 b
* V1 F: Z" m7 m0 V3 @City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates6 E/ O5 X+ z9 s( f! v) \( P
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. 9 b$ R" D4 N: C; J
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. . t6 ~+ u5 i3 C; Z6 K: p5 G
3 A3 J! p/ W# P7 O/ G+ T2 r" dCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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6 F1 y2 f$ U' P1 j- RThe draft budget does not come out until November. 0 ~/ C/ g' E) _5 T& O
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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. 0 w; `# `. o6 d
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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8 Q+ u# @" o! a4 S$ zMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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' x ~$ }9 q; p) {2 a uHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. 4 H6 X1 C$ [ v- y! [8 v7 c# L6 s
& H3 G; V: k! p, Z"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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. l) l% C* V! rScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. # x4 q' o9 f" C( U1 ?
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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. . x' [4 b, V$ |3 a- ^3 w
& Z3 q$ }8 S0 d5 W0 n3 m"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 8 C: X: Z. p; t( C; N$ h5 ?
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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." ( v( ~* O5 z. Q; j( X
0 v% g5 I1 I. |1 d+ w+ BThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. + _5 A) }) B4 Y
2 A. d7 [/ v% ]: e. }( NThe 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. 3 R) K( z$ Y9 T% m7 E' N" j
# z6 V3 G: r0 P0 `8 f; N iTax 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
