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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike5 F: U. W/ }: a$ I! \
& \0 U5 ~! G# S2 |- ] L/ eThink 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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+ I1 `9 G4 H9 e7 \, qMandel 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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L6 e+ P& |, z, s6 g, Z"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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* O! R2 ]1 h* N* Y+ x" q0 L1 dCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
* j; f, H0 S0 F! y) X6 v; o6 t"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 $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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- Z4 A1 c* g/ xThe draft budget does not come out until November. ( o: e4 y$ Y5 c' u
. B9 n" ~- Q' A$ \3 f"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."
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. U+ V( [1 V+ ]% |0 f* e; PMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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' w( a( \( L; {4 VHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. w2 r( A. g4 l) N3 m, g7 z
# ], ]5 I/ @7 m6 ~ A* S( T"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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$ e6 a2 M+ O! EScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. # U3 k+ g. G; Z, V! o9 y2 J
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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. # p$ T* b# F C6 e! Q
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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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1 v. l) @' T* Y# p% P"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." $ U. o2 D6 J3 K/ ]6 O* R5 A4 {
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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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* x! M+ ^ q$ [6 jThe 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.
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) b# | v3 W, a a3 x2 wTax 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
