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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike5 y! ^1 Z- n K5 u, Z" T
& t2 o) W: z0 h" h! i( a, fThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. 6 x0 b( I( F5 Z! [* {9 U" S
3 {1 b6 {0 U1 h1 A ` G# iEdmontonians 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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2 X% ]; ]8 ^' ^, k9 B4 h: c8 kMandel 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. - k/ W4 C, T/ N8 S
+ g' p8 |; D ] }, u"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 estimates9 t: l+ G! i* _( y1 l
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. ! `+ L0 _8 s5 `( n2 }0 T" n
: S0 U* L! q# _" f$ w* z0 rA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. 9 G! K+ j# |1 t1 W/ O( \4 q
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. 7 Q4 Y' n; n0 Y4 H: e8 K
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The draft budget does not come out until November. 3 Y+ E2 R2 }# S3 V! |1 \
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"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said. - ]5 V1 _0 k- @5 C% _/ `2 \
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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6 `, J2 B8 l+ k1 C1 v- Y. |However, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. ' H1 r$ S9 h" O2 J7 J' v+ O* n. `, J$ N
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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. 5 T4 ~2 R+ \4 f
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. 5 Z$ h2 ]7 d6 U) L
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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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7 h3 ^ a: W ]. f- W! _"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said.
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) c/ z* A' H% j, F* S* @"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. 8 B1 O* X" d- G: f! i6 D
2 G9 n7 Z& q, w4 }( I6 m# _8 JThe 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. . D0 m) u( V& m4 J
) n) D% V3 p$ sTax 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
