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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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, y# W7 d! Z# M" E2 R2 JThink 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. 7 \2 n, F( a. h8 B% h
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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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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates k& l5 @7 @. a C( j
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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0 T% |2 [' G: B6 V% MA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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( N" `+ q! Z# H4 b: F+ X M* k1 o"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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The draft budget does not come out until November. + s% u- u, G. P# M) H
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"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said.
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: ~8 p' C1 T; F3 _"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." # t) e* h6 p: W5 s+ x, ^
; R, {3 H8 V$ `; e3 wMaurer 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. 3 K1 T5 v. d. D9 [ f7 m3 ~2 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. - O" d2 \! o( V3 Z* c
" } L) E; C$ }$ p4 VScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. 7 \5 C. J$ V5 W& Z$ {' i3 p+ p
- F: Q/ D" s% E' y& H2 {He said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. ' S& W" v4 j- q3 C! m! f
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"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 6 A0 g0 |+ v+ E" _7 M4 y, m
6 j) w# ^9 y( z9 H"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." * s5 j: o f# {+ C; R+ d
+ }8 `3 q; q. j2 NThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. 8 P6 v- P5 W( y( Z9 X6 ^
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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.
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% l( y& _0 K+ W0 KTax 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
