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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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# U2 p' W& ], ~# l; ]$ Y5 \Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. 6 C5 x. N( F$ s* j9 U
' |0 T; [7 o/ Z5 l5 YEdmontonians 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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& F- s$ @+ [: v) k- SMandel 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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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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9 I$ n2 e u. p uCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
( M- W7 H( u, k% d"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 $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. % c: R, y% D% E/ o+ o3 W1 @0 i
/ X! e5 T! c v) z3 fThe draft budget does not come out until November.
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"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said. 8 z1 ^0 S* Y" s9 D3 ?
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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3 z# j' K( ~- A: V8 }# W! ~- z5 DHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. 7 Q. o% f2 G, t8 V! J
C" h9 A9 [" t6 ~7 Q"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program. 3 Z: ^( V# g! ]4 Q# l: C
( m2 H* a9 ^0 t! |9 K$ VScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. ! T2 W$ [! \+ P- ^- ?
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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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1 c/ @' d! X( v3 l( Y) _"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. ; W1 |& ^# k6 Z
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"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." ) x7 ^$ h% j9 X8 \. r/ b; i0 k% U+ P
` ~" K+ }$ d" KThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said.
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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. 4 N* f* n6 g/ O) o& z) R" z7 v
. c/ y! c( F- t9 pTax 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
