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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike2 x$ {2 J+ e" u% `! _& d
9 d1 i2 B( J1 x- }+ YThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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& X! W8 m+ p; d2 N4 k" E% Z2 mEdmontonians 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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5 `% |, j; t5 g2 T4 x7 IMandel 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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! ^$ X, S, z4 b! o+ p' h$ z"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. 4 _4 H# c j! f
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
7 W# N7 n0 }7 C5 `"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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4 q! L$ d0 _% E' M" P( C: rA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. % X* z8 N0 r3 y) G0 `
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. * Y& f7 N# e: m. a0 w, ~9 l
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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" z2 N5 A3 X6 CThe draft budget does not come out until November. / s/ g8 L, D1 q5 s2 R* p2 ]
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"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said. , S8 W$ D8 T0 A" `3 X/ A0 ?8 D1 K
0 ^9 a4 M2 G9 o"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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However, 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. 3 U: m" H/ f% [8 S* ^& w; b: d8 R
9 ?5 J0 n- @# k. w1 dScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. % O* P6 F* j: e/ t8 S
3 p: k: Z7 R5 v! M1 j1 x; v8 WHe 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."
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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. # f, J! b2 t$ e1 Q$ ~( Y
) Y: ~3 u" j; K; d+ Y1 j NThe 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. 5 h$ _8 ~% g3 E- H6 G
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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
