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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike* a f) c, n3 w& Q3 r! u. m% C" C9 l
& B3 e2 ?, A8 p0 rThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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/ j, ~. {$ |3 ?$ T( T v8 fEdmontonians 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. 0 }: o6 }3 E2 j" y5 [; Y* [- e0 \3 `
: q: C6 Y& O* @- W* `( o9 I. cMandel 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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( y; X. ~4 S; m3 u1 U: r& {7 e"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; p2 O! h1 y: X9 A ]& ~" w0 q
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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! W9 g N# x7 MA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. 1 A5 q' z& T7 Y3 n
& G q: h5 _0 m- ^"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.
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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. 2 `: g2 W- d" d* p3 C
$ a8 {5 p; c: O) g$ g. W"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. 8 x5 T5 U* q1 `/ Z/ n9 Z; O
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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.
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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. ' }8 V! z% K' K7 D r5 M
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. ! d. V* S3 Y6 z( j3 y
* P# A" P$ |& u) |( _4 ~, wHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. 9 @4 t8 |( b) h8 U' F& G5 A
- P# f9 g7 k0 A8 D"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said.
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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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6 [* ~& o7 [1 y6 d, Z+ Y6 aThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said.
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' m8 X# v( J: r; [+ k2 VThe 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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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
