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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike% _9 v/ U: }& N& I" I0 T! [
1 t. H9 @* ^2 C) z3 FThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. ' \+ J* W$ ^( t
" l# r# d5 E2 t! j7 t2 Q3 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. 3 s5 C2 [) \, n2 q0 O
& W5 t; L V5 N8 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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" A% u+ P* A9 N"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. . T: D9 j0 e% }. \
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
% R; Q7 ?9 k# G! e2 j! P"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 $200 a year. ; t5 {2 k! m8 v$ b" Y0 v" V# K( h+ e
, e7 K- K% L2 E* c, l$ ]"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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The draft budget does not come out until November. 0 k! C) V- V7 L5 F% I
7 [! S5 Q k3 ?2 E7 L+ t. W"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." * w* @2 M# Z8 B T1 W
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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3 [; u6 P, u \6 v z; MHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. & v& w! s. V' H+ O8 ^
6 \8 m E% Y6 K f1 @, ?"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program. 7 I; o N, w7 B. \; y$ S
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
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, E% S; _9 d( {6 n! l! r( zHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. - j, ]: G: e; C! u
4 S! N* u \/ R$ o* a+ i"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. , E: w) s& ~9 t2 }5 x
4 K. y7 ~3 m" N' `$ h4 l0 m"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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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. ) ~& k- {. l2 r4 ^: x3 @
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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.
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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
