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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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* K9 a" i( q" P3 ]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. 6 p- l, V+ u% p/ W
Z# ~) g2 `5 I, T& {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. / v4 j. Z6 J# i, j1 E; B, c$ M
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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* ~3 s0 M$ _$ ]' y4 `% ZCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
7 N2 p1 H; a* y* }"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. # J$ i( M# W- p9 s6 b' r
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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. $ P* F; x" p& e& m
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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. * s% k) H# u; W3 \
/ R/ U6 D$ C" oThe draft budget does not come out until November.
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1 c- H1 |: d: a" Y) U! w5 o9 }/ {9 v"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. 7 |6 v/ f5 {0 ~; w! l9 Q
9 q8 T6 `. u$ T# o' l/ k3 T" i"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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* t2 Z: i: P V; ^, bMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. L6 d" n5 ]( }3 U
U: A, R, r7 dHowever, 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. 5 W A7 [9 S/ D; A
( ?( f' g9 {0 x, x& XScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
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% Q) P; M% d2 n' BHe 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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# Z& R) M$ ^4 a5 e) p. j! _"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. % G) n1 D( ?$ v3 q0 B; g& a
0 P$ H# N) R H+ s4 q' k, `" y2 Z"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." + f$ D$ N" j+ [+ N- B3 C
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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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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. ' y% Y" K- S6 B' H9 K
I6 P* C; t2 q, u! zTax 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
