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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike+ z+ X+ V5 C/ Z6 P, u2 o
: h* }- E# s' t- tThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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! b, F" d0 D6 ^1 R1 E- {0 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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) e/ p; M4 u6 V' X! y/ qMandel 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.
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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) g3 s v& C# [6 h$ |3 }0 CCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates4 r' a( `( x6 B
"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 $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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$ E. i6 N: _/ w" Q7 f0 Z3 B* W; V$ E# wCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. ! l* Q* u& @7 K( s7 b
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The 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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5 q, ]! {: ?* r6 XMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. 3 m! w8 n5 F, I f/ z4 I
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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. # F a# s# z; T. T' T. J
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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. % `: `0 a* z* A+ O1 _- i# w' j
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. " U' [- I' I- @; D# o' E
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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.
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! H, {! k3 C2 h7 m- t" y"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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8 K& _# r) F" t. B" O3 W' L7 hThe 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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5 a0 m% c( a$ h& O5 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
