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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike( C4 V2 q- T& P
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Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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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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& p6 s% v+ f% d) jMandel 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. ) D/ j% Y' }5 ^% Q1 w
8 Q* X" q$ I6 B1 j/ X1 DCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates9 b; m( J( ~5 f% j; Y& M
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. 8 `8 J) z+ @2 h$ v
/ Q& U& N& l2 J K4 Z8 OA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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' d. P8 U6 b' Q"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. + @( F1 ~ G7 m: M* g! z _2 ?
1 k4 r# \7 _. l$ Z! vThe draft budget does not come out until November.
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4 `8 E: {4 F2 t$ v1 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. 0 N, W( C% f5 V4 \ w$ O
6 h, O0 {$ x7 M, U$ P"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." 4 O) p2 k) J6 b% G
6 I. x3 y9 b& RMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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* V! p* L3 T$ @However, 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.
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0 Z2 a8 @0 @4 [! VScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. * i/ |- J! {9 U: O r4 r5 ?
9 T* f9 \ w2 ~8 iHe 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. , I# w; e' ?5 K4 q( K& {& |( x( A# I
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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."
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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. 9 q. `: }. @: _. U; |0 W- o
0 @ X# U* ^* T$ O' O# f# y) GThe 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. e0 i A4 h$ r/ E2 Z7 s
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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
