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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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9 C7 i7 J: o4 ]) GThink 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.
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$ R$ [3 K4 L( S$ K2 s# h# [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.
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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6 T9 N, L2 R A: i' y( o5 PCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
1 k* t. l1 [7 |"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 $200 a year. & ~8 ]4 i. a! o/ L& \/ Y9 P4 z
: O L2 D T- t"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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The draft budget does not come out until November. % U' ^5 q4 v( a/ C
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"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said. 2 P: X9 z r& ~0 Z$ x
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." ' M `4 B" Z. z K3 l
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. 9 \, E! H# k. {& P- D% G
* j' S( h1 G2 S0 W _6 T; i; Q3 fHowever, 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.
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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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He said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. " \- |; n I& |7 \: W/ ]
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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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"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." ( C' \% L0 t& ]$ w& B1 H1 i
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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. p. v3 I6 m" R0 D* R3 @7 g
2 R5 Y& b b. A+ u9 ATax 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
