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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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7 s5 q* I) H1 t2 L y( ?5 I8 IThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. 0 G1 O4 e! b$ W, ^3 ]
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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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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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5 a3 {8 [- F! G* y2 ?"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. 7 ?& D% k7 v; Y
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates2 f5 c( B' o* j- C+ ~
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. $ F4 l+ J( J! _; w3 _
! R8 O7 A2 e, }A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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C9 a$ A9 K" z: v"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. 2 I/ D0 L* T( X9 A# Q
Y' N6 h6 i( u/ [- ~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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! v" \/ c7 K, q: pThe draft budget does not come out until November.
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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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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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! ]: U- y' I8 Z2 o; \* jMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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However, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. 2 ~0 d5 D. W" ~5 V; y# ]/ p+ R/ }
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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. - f2 M: I6 @3 f6 ?* [! v. w
( `- [# k( o' M5 q" cScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
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% W+ T/ F, C& A6 [% GHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. @7 ~0 D5 |8 n4 G b# U6 V0 q0 l. l
- E: G) }; j0 R+ S' A5 T. V- `"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 0 F* F$ C7 E' H- t" g
+ \! q0 c2 P/ r8 D: e! F9 J"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.
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0 P8 z1 r4 q. i/ k1 EThe 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. . C$ ?$ j! W7 I' Y, Z
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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
