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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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4 e8 v( z0 \7 ]2 p9 l2 ~4 V7 e/ kEdmontonians 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.
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
; \! u! g$ |- v% N. F9 y"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. % j! Q5 p# c+ l' p
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. 3 B9 I) i* }. S3 d
% a8 x) A/ `. \$ gThe draft budget does not come out until November. 8 O9 [- N' w& Y+ P- m$ x9 p/ d
6 c( y! L |/ w6 `* I"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. " l( ]- Y& p7 h7 j8 r4 h! [
7 `. ^- ^0 D1 A1 d6 ]7 y"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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7 e( }' S; q. HMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. , K$ _% T3 _. H7 w( A0 ?
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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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- C5 b- [- z/ {( k3 w"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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7 I) g H. j [Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. 8 ^$ J/ Y' H8 k
: w! h# S% a, O2 uHe 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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5 ^) E$ _: V* p2 X$ R"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. ) ^% I5 i& r3 E1 b! n
& c {& _2 U) B( W+ b0 m4 |"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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9 e; q* ]2 F# o1 Q) I5 l# j1 cThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. : M# C9 N0 {! l* l0 U
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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. : M3 D& S# D) L$ d3 {; f( l
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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
