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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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Think 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.
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/ B/ c( g9 T2 w5 n9 bMandel 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. 5 z2 i1 N2 y- p: e: E# P
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. ) U. P& \" \' |2 k- C) T& S; G1 @
/ n( _/ }" B" N5 O' tCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
$ A1 Q2 n/ o- J) `0 D: W) ?"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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8 M5 h: o/ T& r3 w; }) N. kA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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* X! r( X, _# C7 }- ~"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. . u8 e! |* W" q. Y" ^
" D# H/ v1 p Q \7 f# ACoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. ; ?* c$ i$ g6 I, x! c
! j7 N' n1 G. \4 i0 o+ B+ @- sThe 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. & _! K+ D: r& K5 U
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"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 S2 J3 \" D) r6 I9 F& }( W$ u. {
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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. ( f. M! c" p& R5 a4 C
( u. P% B& ~. U; M2 QScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
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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. 6 j! \* [: _( u
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"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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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said.
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2 b. x$ Q0 m: W$ p! y# { L$ zThe 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. 4 {+ C6 ~" _4 N4 t: I3 k& Q
9 d$ p2 R' b" E( { K2 c. {) ITax 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
