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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike' }: z }, t: @! R" ~
z n" [. B; F ?' u) u2 FThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. 2 O5 p- ^2 e/ O0 P3 S' _3 ^+ 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. 5 j1 o! O& K/ k3 x
+ ?. j, d9 c3 Q$ B T7 l4 r# rMandel 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. & f$ B5 k5 F! a8 J, ~' S- `
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. 4 N; G4 I7 l! ^7 V( B) w
2 {2 ]2 x7 b$ ]2 O; NCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates- c# ^# I1 P; j* g
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. 7 Z$ a9 P6 D8 `( Y' M
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. $ c' a/ o6 Q1 `2 ]8 f' i! ]
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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. % o0 h+ J) N8 U4 t
( I. Q( A* X" n1 Q% B& t; HCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. ! r- W' A! [2 J& O& _! e
3 X# l- L1 d) Y# P5 jThe draft budget does not come out until November.
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) s5 H f( y$ N7 A' l"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. 5 g# R0 }9 b& L. X3 }3 _) s1 I8 n
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." : c1 j! t$ X% c6 g: ^' F' r8 l+ F
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. * Q7 @2 J2 w' S2 k6 X. J% L0 y
0 @* O5 G9 K+ G7 ~( [0 RHowever, 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. 0 F" v9 u6 [3 R y% r8 n
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. + G8 j9 O; _. ~7 u9 ?
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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. 0 Z; q) B J2 H
2 l+ l6 X1 H. A! j) Y"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. ; n( K7 m, w0 k0 _4 M5 n* I
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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." : _( x3 {8 q ^9 d) J$ a% `5 V
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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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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. ( p( P8 s9 X. ~$ {
8 W2 k6 z/ k: _" xTax 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
