 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike6 ^* P* N" ?6 c$ }, W2 H4 W' G; A$ i' O
; \) w K! C! W \$ bThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. 4 ?: f+ m( ?1 |2 B+ E/ h
- \) h9 v5 U- R( j) J; k. LEdmontonians 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.
5 \$ R1 C6 S* R! N# q O, w
$ t7 Q) u `. `8 [! z# OMandel 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 @1 G" u, E/ e& w; l5 `+ s# ]- |
* b% x' L p0 V& ~6 A
"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
7 p+ o- f: g: A3 L5 i( Q# c1 |$ \) y
City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates f; _$ G" C2 W0 f% E
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. , @$ {+ u* s' L: o6 I$ {
: C* A5 }- M: v# I
A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
9 g! L/ E9 y0 d% S
: k0 V# U% A3 K1 ^5 V$ W"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.
) r8 d0 W# A- t5 S' V3 ~9 Q) u/ T3 I# D" B5 |
Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
e+ F3 s. I/ t+ T3 H
& m) ~3 t1 `( B. b$ z) ^0 CThe draft budget does not come out until November.
. h; R- j8 L1 p) b }/ `4 n
% k" a7 D" o8 I$ P% W"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.
& A5 v E, ?$ a* W5 @9 J4 }9 ]: a- I. F7 _/ x; x3 n2 q( q
"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
' f$ N' @! w2 f' R& r! S% s% N k8 Z. p5 D4 d
Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
, j& o ?6 F4 q- a! G5 x" ^2 J# a0 U* y
However, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks.
/ |5 g: W! W/ }# H5 y. z/ E8 m" x8 u4 H3 Y0 U; p9 C
"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program.
/ `) `- N6 N# M, S. f+ Q' ?: j$ ]" b( [* M s, L/ D
Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
4 A- p0 }. z V4 r- Q& v4 X h. Z6 n
He said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city.
0 h& g4 { I: d
}, ? [4 x# Y( s* |"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. ' m' J, L! ^2 h0 M& I4 Y/ J
1 U h' D% V4 D; m) t1 i( 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."
/ A) r2 p, ?/ l3 J }7 }$ H* E9 K v. v( B1 |3 {
The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. , L- Z( f' L% D+ ?/ ~- ^. ]
. N. T/ H, V( p' N; {. X
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.
* u4 k* ?+ C9 r9 ]1 s7 ]4 a" a9 r' h- j, }
Tax bills will be mailed May 25 and payments are due June 30. |
|
狗仔卡
发表于 2007-5-9 22:25
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
显身卡
发表于 2007-5-10 11:37
