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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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# t' T, C1 b& @! ~" ~6 s rThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. ; m E! b' }/ |: N
: y+ U1 M8 h- L7 Q6 e) i$ h( R: JEdmontonians 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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& k0 k% V) C- m7 {2 BMandel 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. Z( x) H9 B! o5 v- s9 c
0 p9 G6 i7 @! K) i Z, L0 ?/ c1 f"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. 3 h) _' V1 T, h- v3 D
4 |' V+ V+ P# l* N; t: `City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
6 t& P/ F* U- B4 x" Z"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. " ?) a8 f8 t3 K
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. % ~1 ?) T# l1 P* i) D; E$ @; S
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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. 2 F- C8 u0 u' n2 |# Q6 ^. G/ }
" ]' U) S: N) B* _' I6 I- sThe draft budget does not come out until November. 1 m# R8 w7 w7 p# A/ B u4 X
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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.
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, u( v* n$ b8 I) T: p"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." : s$ P& X3 y/ Z7 q! R5 ?3 k
! F& {- ]3 w! z3 Q0 O% ?! r0 S' }Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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. G; A9 V6 r7 D: ?$ g' CHowever, 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. % i; q0 b2 i: j- ^
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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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He said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city.
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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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, l8 I! ~) _) N+ l$ o; t"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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: I. z* N7 e+ j0 cThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said.
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& t8 B N! s% J$ 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. + b- z( g2 H# S. ?2 ]
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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
