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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike' ^( r1 ?2 S& l5 Y
. g& U. ^0 t' G. fThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. : G! x, F9 B' z( {: c
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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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, z0 L8 D w" q# X: q5 k: NMandel 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. 8 d' [. {* {, e B" @
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
! x6 i% V5 A9 l0 `7 J# e7 h"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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The draft budget does not come out until November. 5 G+ t4 s0 F9 e, u. m4 u
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"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said. p" x' E9 h2 P0 E# J/ H6 p# f& [5 m
* a% F. v( n: K2 ~; b5 M"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." ( _; p. i- a% n2 W
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. % A: b# u- L1 C1 |8 q
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However, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks.
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"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program. ; z) k( J# F+ y) }5 [% H
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. : U/ r2 g; x. X6 }
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He said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city.
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"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 2 r, _$ B# u; D0 {1 U: d
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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.
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- @5 R1 E' B; n( G/ c9 ^9 ?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. 2 }+ ~7 p8 V S' e) w+ G! u' F4 b
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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
