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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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- N+ O4 l9 Q TThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. 1 y4 |0 e) h% Y$ x4 r
7 V' C+ Y, o' ?8 G' CEdmontonians 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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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. $ |4 d M& k' d2 N+ p4 y
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. 8 B4 ?' j) e1 V% r% j# ^
" i3 o0 \2 U1 r8 P C! S3 CCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates4 |& \7 U9 k w1 ^7 n
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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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. ' q5 |( _* r) W" s8 t5 M, _
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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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The draft budget does not come out until November.
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: S* s# q- `+ [) z/ \"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. ' t: ~% l- @2 ~: T* q6 \, ] r
8 `3 v/ ~' @ u4 t! I) q, W/ s- N"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. ( B! {" D& J9 ^% o* Y( a% A
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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. ' ~! i& L+ G, N
2 x. b+ p# o- r# k3 J2 E- x- MScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. " L* N! A, ?. J0 |1 m' w" H
8 x) Z! ^' r; u0 f& XHe 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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# p9 _3 p" ]- u# H7 E"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 0 x5 ?- m8 i% Q1 Q7 D
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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. & U' U4 h5 Z7 d; Y. n
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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.
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# w4 ^4 e( D0 S' r8 g4 nTax 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
