 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike# ~8 Q; q; V) |1 Y
9 D! P# J- X$ \1 X5 p T3 C5 w. {1 q
Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. . C/ F1 u4 T1 `2 E
" k9 }& P7 p2 j8 Z$ KEdmontonians 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.
- X1 X# g6 E* s8 e6 Z% n( @3 T6 y
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. / K0 _" c9 Z, w! U3 u. N
& P- V3 h, V5 f/ A, o) h"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
4 w' H. ]( A9 r4 P$ \
9 {4 g8 ~. D8 D9 P2 @1 L% T2 G& zCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates% d1 {/ D. Q3 c9 c3 H
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
! o( n1 h% ~* ~4 Z7 s5 r4 X' F8 L# D c" |4 @/ l. y
A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. ) p9 t0 q; [7 ~# Z
# {+ H5 z. h7 m2 c"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. ; S! D2 J) W' `1 C& B3 |9 B5 E
0 L* U% o* ^! R7 i2 o4 b/ F
Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
9 k& a$ g, X3 i8 p3 A. u$ d" x# b" O. ]8 J( ]* z4 c1 D
The draft budget does not come out until November. / |8 J# M4 s3 d5 j9 j
3 K3 m$ L. M" Y
"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.
0 h8 ]' F3 D5 f$ P) [9 ~5 a
2 m0 H4 W* M: _7 T2 k"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." $ `) _) F6 n4 v
9 c7 g2 ?. R) }- O" ~* sMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. 2 Q$ W% I# \5 `! M
1 J4 Z' B/ q+ bHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. . I. t z( S" p& _) m5 h
: i8 `9 ^' i' x"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program. 5 g1 Z% { [6 o J2 m/ M
8 `& _9 a+ _! ^/ _
Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. & j1 w1 n, d. o1 T& ?
6 P8 C5 t" p- j7 ^+ ?
He said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city.
% z/ H. g" L9 M! I" M2 \& p7 f! i0 ~: c
"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. - ^) t5 _4 V4 }% z; v) K: i
) X c# _/ s/ |; a( b7 u
"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."
7 d$ s& F( i2 k7 F* F6 Y8 [% P) |2 }4 S* m- z" E
The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. , x: W5 w6 |7 p0 \/ u- Z& q
* i+ r5 K+ S: G2 q
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.
@ Z& _1 e8 }, ?
9 z; {( U8 H2 P4 B' tTax 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
