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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike/ p; ]+ B0 l4 ?- k9 j0 j
* I9 Y3 C- H3 VThink 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 v1 E3 e$ I( B& H9 { F
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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. * x/ i; y+ Q% L3 k7 Q, T" ]& D
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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 Z' h+ X( [/ C" o: W* ICity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates5 x# H0 f* {9 P- A8 `
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. # ~7 G* b1 \" E/ Z) ~0 B
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. 9 T S' ^" i% S1 K
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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The draft budget does not come out until November.
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+ l1 E0 \5 L1 C" s) G' |' m"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said. ) n$ G8 r% o/ X9 r
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." 8 q1 p5 w9 e1 ^# Y
! ?2 `$ H& C9 r* E+ l6 D: ?0 kMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. * [/ V! L( ^% I3 v& B3 R
! o7 f, f8 @5 G/ c$ n+ BHowever, 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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h4 p( Z. c3 r, Q+ }Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. 0 g1 H; x; I7 H) I! z
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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.
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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." 9 _9 t7 L, V6 @8 {
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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. ' ~: {: s4 }- |. ?
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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.
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Tax 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
