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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike& X. I. J! _9 u( i0 Q$ U
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Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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9 c' d& ~( q! EEdmontonians 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. . M5 F) S" \, Y$ ?! g. B
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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
# u8 k) [+ g# F. n"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. , q: }) M1 T. _2 l
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. - j6 q8 _$ U1 |% H( \: O8 q5 Y1 K
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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. % \# \ Q0 L; A. T4 o
& `9 _% m* I/ y) WCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. , D- [4 M/ \# Q3 I+ K
- p: V$ C/ u' jThe draft budget does not come out until November.
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# J+ w% W( m5 g7 @- B0 R' m"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." . O+ {) d# K3 d
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. # w3 A" }7 p' a2 I" n: o
6 {1 g W% e& g& {( ?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. - \4 j+ ~. I1 I! I' m, ] |* U
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
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, N2 t* t) Q; D9 Y: R: LHe 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. 3 g, u5 l) c- R( W. Q5 t. l; o
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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. 3 y# n% ^& \3 F: c0 u
' F+ |% J/ x. S& h9 ~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. * J7 z3 n/ Z9 ]$ O* G
e* W. ^6 C2 g$ m4 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
