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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike# _6 L, g1 E$ ^4 k
. u: T6 E7 B( p1 z/ u5 D! J. [Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. . f% L3 W7 N+ W7 J9 m" w( c) p
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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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1 A# F; |% e7 gMandel 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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" H8 `; N. j" J$ P! y. W"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' z2 F) g! \! ~+ g6 a5 P5 L
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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8 ?! v7 K. V: bA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. : v. e- G! S- V. o- D0 O3 ~
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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1 q0 H8 S- q+ n' Q! Q( [% N/ ECoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. : u1 c$ }& z: u% ]# w, V
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The draft budget does not come out until November. 2 a- k, @& f0 v" c: j, K- M1 r% r
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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. % e7 \1 t& C9 @9 @2 M
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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.
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) S2 v# j3 [$ C2 I; W2 G5 @, @% U% WHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks.
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, Q4 @# B7 x/ t/ N: M"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. ' F# `# G' ?- {, e) q+ N2 ]
( {! U) b+ H V' x+ oHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. + q9 D5 E* `8 e7 H- ?7 D. |
! b5 h& s* \0 B r+ v1 t7 i"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 7 T, l# P. D: E7 b: E8 K: K
3 Z1 x) W8 d2 o"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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' ?' C( u+ S4 g# b8 qThe 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. h& L( l n* N+ w9 t2 r6 \! I
/ s! @ ?: ]% m0 d. ~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
