 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike: E& B8 r" k$ L# v5 J. u/ Y. `4 X/ c
- w/ o" D; r2 I
Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. " J# S7 @# Y+ t4 Z
+ L. G6 V1 M3 R2 }% Y
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.
& d/ L+ B1 T5 D% l# y+ {- y
: f3 K. F, o3 e; p0 J, TMandel 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. . W" a' X/ ?6 b. j, F5 E2 M4 j
3 t2 T d! u! q3 Z, F
"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. ; V$ n2 ~0 U% y+ Q1 ]6 t" @) |
, D: ]& M' Q! V; ^5 @- eCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates0 \, Z1 o& R+ c. e. _
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
1 C# H3 U$ d$ L+ h+ D. M8 ]( V z* x
A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. . p7 e6 O2 i4 W$ e; U w* s7 t
x# A+ l/ V: S' N" m1 ?9 M0 D"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. 0 [$ ]; c, t- U- o
2 n# W2 X" T P) ~Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
6 w. ?. Z) A4 X' ^5 O
/ u, f9 ]; U1 {) K5 A# N; T0 w. WThe draft budget does not come out until November. + k+ v2 g6 S- y
1 C; C5 I1 N u* r* m
"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. 5 a* h' N4 t" D" B1 ^
8 b) H$ I4 \6 x, ~3 Q: D P"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." 9 g: s k2 P- J; v! P- p0 F
0 q# C, W% q7 F p* UMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
8 n# |) _# \5 z$ N& P$ Y" U
/ X N6 h a t3 Q# G$ @However, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. / ~& I( [4 w- P% X4 N
7 s5 p+ l0 J" x/ j"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program. ' Q: t& L* E2 r
2 u5 v: g; a# o6 j4 s* G' \5 r
Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
- W& }* K! ^, H& g# q9 t6 T! y# M' B8 ^! `8 g! g* T @# e
He said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. + I* y- |& \; H; S. s8 H
O# O$ E+ h/ l5 H' h+ f% u0 D- r* u"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said.
' e+ p- i) R9 G' l1 U& P+ A
5 z/ u" y7 H6 A* S$ m; c3 G* r"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." : `5 L2 ]; b8 R" c; a/ T
8 O S" l( s4 \- O& e7 q' YThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. + |2 M! [) A9 B) `6 m
: v9 J3 M/ j+ ~0 Z$ N; _
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. ! h% p, c2 }' Z) |3 Q
; W( }/ U- G( [$ ?* \8 w& }/ LTax bills will be mailed May 25 and payments are due June 30. |
|
狗仔卡
发表于 2007-5-9 22:25
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
显身卡
发表于 2007-5-10 11:37
