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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike! Y- g q" L7 a8 \2 b
* ?6 l. R& Z$ G$ t0 m/ O0 OThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. ) h% B# a& }/ C7 D* w
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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. * Y3 q' s1 B, p$ l5 Q5 A
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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. , {. c2 l" H8 S% e& q. F
7 u5 ]) B2 m' H. ?, b: l7 m"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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. F* N+ c3 H! ICity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
; j) X8 Q/ Y4 q8 L, }"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. * W M3 G6 ]1 E( }( U
/ [# c, _" i1 H9 P' OA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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, \; i. V: s `! ]7 ]8 \"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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5 r; d* E) w' n* n1 kCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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The draft budget does not come out until November.
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4 P# F. X3 V$ C4 K"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." " ~& d1 k9 D) C) W
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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7 s* ` L3 w2 j5 iHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. * u4 K4 R5 L& g1 d+ b* i
1 d2 H! t/ R5 h* ? Z! E, L0 n/ ["We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program. # K3 E2 J6 @" t. D5 w
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
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+ g$ {; S% o, O# z' rHe 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. * }" f0 c8 j, G+ [& ]9 O# u
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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.
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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. ; `: k9 \3 ?8 M6 E
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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
