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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike8 r9 _9 U+ \ \- F: A, w8 R* n
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Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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/ L; V( X) K$ D6 ^5 @0 G# aEdmontonians 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. ' S7 p" J" `; i1 |
x1 ?/ Z5 P, w! @1 f8 bMandel 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. 5 g: I$ p( @) I! t
+ o" [. [# y3 J" I"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. - H! S% }' t& k2 Z- P
) ]% G; V) ~8 o- PCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates6 r' N8 E* b8 v5 D3 |
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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7 B# ^- ^; m' z! V% lA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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! Q1 p$ v9 v# u"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. " q8 q8 P! P) G. ^+ x9 `
6 N. K$ _5 p# H2 qCoun. 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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' Z3 J3 i/ T, w) qThe draft budget does not come out until November. T: V. N# J+ M2 k6 L. e6 F7 f
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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. ! g+ f/ B8 W; {1 j
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"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. : H, M' W3 ^2 w! c9 z- |
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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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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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"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 6 N8 Q5 ?/ I1 I$ C7 Y- J
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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. - v5 E3 M; P; w* i
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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
