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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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. O' D; p, ^5 U1 U% `: KThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. 9 f, q8 F; N/ H3 V& \/ m. I( ^
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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. ! e: p4 q3 l; P! B0 C- H& W
5 y1 F5 t7 o+ B7 I/ ^ bMandel 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. ! P; _3 i. m" h& d' B
2 @5 T4 \' ]; k3 b6 v"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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7 F% y% R ^5 D2 P! q4 tCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates9 M0 q2 ?0 W: T1 g9 Z( \3 O' ~8 @
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. + }+ C @4 i/ u' X
% b) V+ Q J" `0 i6 oA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. / \: ?6 L! v/ W$ [
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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. ; \' _: m+ }1 { _4 ^. h
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The draft budget does not come out until November.
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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. 5 A5 k2 |. z) i J R
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." " X! I) q' w& v" j; _/ ^8 u
% r- m" }$ M% @% ?# T, x" FMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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7 c. ~3 {; d4 Z4 H, z bHowever, 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.
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) {5 b5 Z# M n" Z* ?* U( PScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. 4 \# w, Z% Z1 F6 X
; v8 Z! h7 F% v) T8 |4 d& PHe 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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- ?# q q) M# F8 }* f4 t$ x9 c"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said.
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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."
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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. 0 r. U# x8 ~; O0 l+ G6 p
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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. 6 F! D5 s3 A, c2 A' G4 u
9 r: ~. g* P0 eTax 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
