 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike0 v$ A* O1 [. I5 `: }
5 P6 K* c8 H; c) g- u- s( i. I1 p
Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
: U, Z8 h* Q4 T% G) v& E" O1 t d6 |7 A. N
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.
& t$ d* y1 |! Q6 |3 r- f7 C7 Y9 o5 @3 ?" E5 O
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.
( S) q( M# k. a: q% n+ b# C! C z1 m! \5 A6 {3 C4 j/ c
"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. V& f: f7 ]; t! j8 ^% \
, p) l% P, z$ ^, n+ t3 \City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates) H: Z* f) u+ j* ?5 D
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
/ u$ \! j7 p/ ?
" O" D7 g( e/ V; O, U" LA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. 0 w$ T- w0 }3 |. c
: {6 |8 o1 q: S+ z9 m0 k) b4 C
"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.
8 U5 ^8 F8 I7 H' _* F2 u+ j- @
1 l5 r5 z2 D8 E" NCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. 5 p- E, s* C6 N# V+ O) e
2 `. x+ M4 d) OThe draft budget does not come out until November.
! L8 o, l* F4 J- B/ Z: N7 t3 P2 F7 h& v! ^& L6 m- n
"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.
5 |" u0 Y$ C t# @$ g
1 j+ Z8 I! j2 g0 C# I% O4 I"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
! S! u% o2 B; N# t" W8 \6 M: V0 E. ^3 N U2 ~
Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
# n+ p, p+ R b+ h
! F/ H8 H' Q; I W# U2 P" cHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks.
5 J2 h; @1 R" Z) \5 @
{: B( @: ?5 H* T"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program.
: G8 }6 l5 ]+ L1 ^1 ]& X
2 z+ Y+ S2 w$ O- F' _Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. ( G5 Z. b5 j9 V" ?* |; j- G+ k
- t' q0 u8 r2 V
He said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. `4 @, T+ X) C8 }
# n& ~ B/ c# {9 _, I( y"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said.
) N3 X7 I, X6 A# k9 D: F
8 f. c S4 Y; W9 Y G! v"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." 2 I H" h, y5 b: j4 E8 G% R4 Y
0 n* w9 C3 n( `+ |; Z* X0 Q& j5 |The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. * @( F- [" j4 J' M
, m) }2 |3 E7 M' T( Z' D
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. 3 S a8 V/ I4 U
6 V& P3 Y- S. c$ x: q8 A0 C
Tax bills will be mailed May 25 and payments are due June 30. |
|
狗仔卡
发表于 2007-5-9 22:25
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
显身卡
发表于 2007-5-10 11:37
