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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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2 S8 e7 w2 I' @% yEdmontonians 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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+ g( \9 b& g# i. H+ y. m- m7 vMandel 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. % v& A# p) m# n% O5 G" h9 h# q
, N2 K5 {: I f0 {" n"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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" b$ Z) G8 T4 BCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
, ?! }& v' [- O! w3 Q% n. u! x"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. ! s2 ^) e2 l5 X) {
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. / A9 ], {! L) N" ~1 p4 X% V2 I
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. " c! A5 a3 x/ e1 s7 S
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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The draft budget does not come out until November.
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* W! D# ]% }* d" k2 ^5 X"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said.
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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9 W0 b" o. q& JMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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1 s* [7 c% g/ }6 K% mHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. 7 C+ l6 T2 O. V! ~& C
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"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program.
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
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1 J- \, }6 [* \: O, Q# T8 v4 EHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city.
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) B/ {" ?6 S* r: I S$ I3 N"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. 9 d5 w; N- k* O; U! r8 p
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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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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
