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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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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. , n7 s/ z9 l; |- `! f3 ]
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"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. k5 v, W! B1 M
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. 4 \+ D/ _ q* V8 F1 q. n3 k
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. 7 J) K) I7 W2 H) ^1 H: D" n
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The draft budget does not come out until November. 6 t, e% p1 H5 |" R' m. G7 s: h* C
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"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said.
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." ' @' C# E" J$ w }2 S# {
* c* T3 u% ?; |/ Y! ?" B% t' EMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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+ S" f" V* o5 S _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. * S3 ]" y( W" Z/ j) T/ k' w
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. 6 g0 c1 r3 i; C) t8 F/ l
) x" _" Y8 O7 ]7 D# |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.
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2 r8 f* R" \/ [ ^* ?+ h"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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u: ]' P7 b! u8 SThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. 9 D0 v* i. l+ {6 F
. m) X2 ?! N0 O2 [* [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. ( b/ o9 l7 a! [, Q% e) E
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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
