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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike. V" {, P" k& I
. \2 Y8 b# i# H) {2 l, EThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. . v* O6 d) Q' h4 a+ \& Q2 M
5 C$ y+ B( c3 P0 ~! ^& R5 }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. 2 v% X0 S; s$ ^3 Q* K
1 e. R) E; o" e$ G# C5 FMandel 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. 9 X7 @" }: Q# @- k; a1 |
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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# n" O' E0 B2 U* q) `" ZCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
: V$ E& |3 q/ y& F. \4 A"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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9 A# E2 p; q5 D1 h7 M2 F, @A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. & j& A7 W+ Q0 n
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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- Z( D, }/ A/ m0 [% k tCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. : E: m; m6 L$ c( w* b
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The draft budget does not come out until November. H5 ~3 p/ W( E% J, X+ _4 U3 z, P
( ?7 x D: o. o6 i" k) c; d! {"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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1 m( [$ Y! j- Q& C9 G"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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" \( R* f- r( k, UMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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' z4 l* h- v' A3 f, y QHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. ' ?4 L( Y8 ?3 G4 K
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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. " N( t3 `7 z3 _6 Y
- o6 R" T( g* tScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. , ~5 C" T0 R) [2 s+ S5 t
5 o, q, o8 c" H) t+ KHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. 0 f# r$ y6 `1 T' @! T0 i& a. h
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"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said.
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9 q0 `( z. ^9 ]' U. P"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. 5 E9 Z; Q/ a! y, C
( Z/ g: ?; h6 U% _* a+ W3 u @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. + J! n, W$ n. t) A- h) P: K8 n, \
7 J- x- U3 S/ PTax 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
