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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike1 }2 P9 u: f5 q" w' K
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Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. & g( Q& Z* o C
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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. , C: ~1 b+ H% i; O+ n
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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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- B' b# ^) z; z) m"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. $ s! A2 `3 y6 u' W
+ h( W9 E% r7 N$ D! ECity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates4 i1 L9 z% A4 A8 \. X F0 P3 H$ i
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. 7 N% I8 S" H! j1 A: r. H9 K
3 R0 v0 u0 y5 W+ a( `/ ~- zA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. * J$ F% K& z$ ] j7 ], U" C# R
0 \+ U7 B% i! H"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. ' ^, O& H$ n. I
; `+ h! a# K& [7 n( T- |, o4 }Coun. 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.
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: E+ H% o* V# @8 W5 ~( 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. 0 p9 Y) d5 c* E5 S. c( v" e* c
/ w' y F, S8 B, v! W) p$ d"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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1 T5 `- Y! Y* X7 E$ x1 l4 k$ V7 EMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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z- b( _( n, T& yHowever, 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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+ r6 X4 \% O% W, i. c: U: YScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. 2 m3 L4 l( Y* s- r# y
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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. 8 w- L6 Q: z/ n$ K
7 Y2 F8 `8 j. r# V6 b1 h3 Q"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.
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9 [3 @) Y' @9 x8 |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. ' T$ Q8 M: m; @9 I$ w
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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
