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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. % e2 p( x, B" `$ a' N
: ~. _4 `! {3 E$ m) W1 t5 ZMandel 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. ' |2 r, r; ^. M1 d' @
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. 3 q# E" b) d3 R! V* l
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
! K. J. x- f7 z8 h. z* ^"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. ; D" C9 _' z- {9 }5 c
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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& J: a, o: c- z"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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& V" k# U: Z2 | ~" O3 x) qCoun. 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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1 e1 j& x% q- G. oThe draft budget does not come out until November. ( y" o% \5 i8 r1 n) T
/ O- p, V5 K- N& O" |. a, U6 `"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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# U5 e' E6 g4 ["It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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, @" R6 I3 j* iMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. / l' D1 s& o5 J9 Z( m9 l
/ `5 o! I! u. _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. ! O* _' v/ i( k, O1 I- R
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. - N0 I# e2 L! ^ Q
+ L4 ?9 n# }. Y- B+ PHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. 3 V! B% r" X2 M% W! ?2 d! a& t( t
* H @3 ]: g; _, n. g" D"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 8 w5 `% w/ Y) r o% v- S0 q" C
, ~+ i0 {. X, n* u. C2 d: X6 R% p7 W"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." 6 W& u/ w, z; ~/ x0 F
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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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8 l! |* E. e: W8 U1 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 c* b; g8 @/ E1 h2 KTax 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
