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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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& y# u! Z5 J5 e0 K, r3 XThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. " O* N- J% w7 C# z: n
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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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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. : r: L7 d/ `: C5 a4 D9 W% A! q) r
8 x& _* E3 {- w1 P1 Q6 c, t"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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! Y, [1 a. p# ?7 HCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
; b Q7 f) m. q. R- ]1 r2 s" ] ]2 U"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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% A( t) i. u+ i( x2 Q1 FA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. ' E$ s' k# k( X: B1 k
5 [" n- Q$ [. @1 aThe draft budget does not come out until November.
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5 x- P0 y0 `2 m' g( H+ C"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. + y* I) [# K) r; B, t2 ]$ x6 W
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." 6 Z" R1 R5 I' A+ M: `1 Z+ u# P: P
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. ( z& h8 o* U. B; Y" \
/ c; F* `# ]! XHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks.
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/ k, w" ] w9 G5 O- c/ \9 x"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program.
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Scott 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.
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"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. # c: y, x5 s8 }- f% E8 A7 @
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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." % \/ ^. m( _" i& {0 n
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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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1 M5 o( v" y* D( B! `& j" q# D: U- n' 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
