 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
' I! A, X6 ]( z& k; ^$ o$ F* l3 [* X, s
Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
+ {0 b) Z2 S9 q8 \/ p& t) b8 C8 d
& U6 h' o$ _1 @+ Z C0 DEdmontonians 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.
: y) D9 g% B; T- t0 U4 N
# ^' o+ J2 l, L, j" j1 mMandel 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. $ ^/ k# a1 b8 S' k. t5 M; ^+ \
2 K! \) [; O. c1 C"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. 6 u9 Y- a+ F' o' i( h
( m: L2 u, l" I {% S
City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
! r+ M* Z; [2 \/ Q1 `7 F; n+ }"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. ( [/ I6 e; ^, h
# F0 |; W8 z7 F b
A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
6 g! `' u7 \, a2 b! `! J& n5 @1 r% T
5 M" Z2 X; u: R7 D"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. " ^4 ]* p3 K# S+ O. ?
7 i& i9 ~; z0 W9 _7 v3 O
Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. % ~' ]9 n8 V, S( n& q3 c
5 U8 u8 l3 F& l6 r9 N0 h' Q+ NThe draft budget does not come out until November. 3 q O; u V1 r- d+ p' P( q) F
6 v0 G+ B2 S F, v' q"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said.
1 L0 {4 R3 _* A! x
: M! {* b! l, l' l( N"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." & U Y* j+ b4 q1 r8 `
0 `0 q& A3 E5 q e
Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
& Q" m% \, P1 y w" u
* I: s. t/ P1 ^- {' Z& x h: p4 b+ n1 pHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks.
% ~6 n; z- N$ j! K9 y+ B9 x0 J
7 M7 P" l( o% M+ T! |"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program.
& K4 v8 l: h9 `1 H6 |7 G$ y' _6 ]
8 y0 w7 x; i- h% @" d/ W, SScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. * b6 t" c# q6 e0 V
- G+ x% ?+ V y# R9 x( X
He said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city.
& v+ o9 {- i7 B' m! O
3 \8 A& `$ N. ? s/ ^"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 5 D1 A5 h7 Z) _( U
2 K& Z# T* i% G# c: p"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."
4 b& X0 A- ?1 w
$ V, m( {7 ~) C% QThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. r+ O- O" @" `
- U5 G$ ~. W! {9 m" R% Q) K
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. 8 V+ r% u' e! ^& ?
5 E# ?- S$ ^4 V& ZTax 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
