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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike8 T) q Y, i& I0 ?9 M6 s
; J4 |) h2 X6 Q! a0 r& ]. y3 s6 r# GThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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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. - d( D+ R5 U: H W2 U; s
- ^. T0 B- V r2 k$ V$ H8 T; s' zMandel 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. ! c! ]; Z1 _" V0 q2 q. [9 [9 ~0 _
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. - Q q) V; s1 }' z* @& I
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
5 w1 r& t* h$ T3 A"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. $ c* Z. `: r4 L
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. $ m Q+ F, v2 K6 C* w3 v
: ^8 q3 M; M7 L9 j! K/ m"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/ l n8 P% X* h
' ?) F+ H' c+ q5 E" X8 j6 ZCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. 2 K- X' c E6 z& X
% Z7 `* Z5 _& M$ V: d' q; ]The draft budget does not come out until November. 2 _/ s2 J7 a$ H7 @
) Y1 l/ o M, p2 o"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. / X3 Z0 e, w0 ]
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." U& |# c o$ n; p; H- u! j
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. ! A5 g, i& r( X" N/ d$ o& J
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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.
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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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( J# x% ~& H- ^% W( VHe 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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+ a- C) g" X! G1 x$ F. m"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 1 P, D* Y# H' f( 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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! j6 o8 q; h; [/ ~8 S0 sThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. 0 W, u% u% V: M# ^$ G
" V1 @/ Z. T: ~, u, v0 EThe 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
