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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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% X, k% h% N7 A$ oEdmontonians 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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7 `: Y2 O9 |. cMandel 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. : z+ R/ Z3 v0 U" F
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
9 y% S% E1 H; a! Y"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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2 o6 B' Z5 o- |0 y/ sA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. $ Q6 t+ P8 Q2 q& Q) C& E1 t9 g+ V
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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. 6 n( e8 n( I. [& w" }0 S4 a* z/ `
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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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' r; J: m9 Z% U2 m U( UThe draft budget does not come out until November.
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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.
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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& i, t' h8 m: V: F) l- uMaurer 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. ( ]! a. j# K" Z
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. ) s0 O( `* A0 u& U* T
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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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) D! [% {) M1 z* M/ g( L"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. # M& Z) X8 C; F8 x$ D6 K
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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." , A3 `4 q0 \8 r0 S0 |3 Q2 Q7 q
2 v# ?& i$ y( `* u: m* wThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. ( S+ o5 g( E* |9 G2 {. f8 ]) v1 a p. c
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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. ; y1 X, ^7 w: c) d/ H; K
* q2 O3 D8 A; N" u) Y& tTax 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
