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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike- ~* J; T5 {9 o/ d) m6 C( h
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Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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1 K. {+ j v5 [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.
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% x! ~/ M v2 y3 P U9 J! t# G5 m8 D& I"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
3 N% ]9 J3 x }- O% z"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. # V% c- g4 m8 t7 Z
9 H1 B) L& t6 s, E$ f: l" HA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. / B5 V" W8 t; g" O
% q8 l( z: a e! o9 w1 ?) n( t! YCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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The draft budget does not come out until November. & u- ?) L/ f2 t( \4 \
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"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said. 4 y6 e( A+ v6 T$ |1 Z5 K
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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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& a2 q B3 B& q# S9 }: l) {- 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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"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program. : I, G2 I% {; \- K) F
8 Q. N& ^' A5 x: LScott 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. 0 u, U z7 u- A" X7 h% f7 \8 g
0 g/ m0 M, D M5 k"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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3 [ k- d8 J# L, uThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. 9 z G; N) X1 W( t
$ Y* b+ r& N+ L- O0 mThe 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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7 K- ]! {- x9 JTax 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
