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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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- z1 I! B' u J8 y! j+ \& MThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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" M+ T( b7 } _3 P+ H# n# IEdmontonians 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. * l1 a# g6 b* c" i& g
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. ) y$ ]3 g1 u J) I* _# w0 e8 ~4 `
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates( O+ W, z8 k, b0 S
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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. B# l3 U2 j' \7 k/ sA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. & A6 S( m; V! [4 \: u
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The draft budget does not come out until November. + R; u+ m/ R4 q$ q: d
/ a8 }2 W4 P3 ]1 |* N/ R"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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3 }& ?, E2 Y% n) ZMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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0 i3 _" p" x& j* WHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. $ ~$ y9 b: m7 y8 l
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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. " Z( i9 a5 i/ d9 e2 Y
3 f2 R9 H4 `! H1 r- TScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. ' y. v3 A( [' H$ R5 g
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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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- _( i% N" o _. ^- l3 i9 }"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. ; O. Y: x7 t7 F2 c
9 q$ e5 x% x+ F; g u, C"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." : \' S+ S- h' e
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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. 0 e: V& V9 d8 h' m# L: @
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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. ) a7 P x* P. f+ T- b& v! E# m( p
7 f( e4 `! W! n/ S& r' NTax 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
