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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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& \! j7 c5 k; `# Z' c6 ?Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. , q" W- |* w( X5 X
( t7 H( \( {6 ^! I* l' T% q% a. T! EEdmontonians 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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8 c6 Q6 |6 M% v: j/ O F- r2 yMandel 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
% i5 l* Y7 h- M: p0 j"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 $200 a year.
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. y% |! m4 i$ ?1 N& W! F"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. S3 L1 Q+ W9 T$ j- {7 l2 ?
7 @" x4 X3 Y0 x1 X5 U ]: r' O: v0 }Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. ) ]/ k# `; F$ G. O5 d2 r
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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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/ x2 a# t1 ?. S2 T3 VMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. / m- B& K* l6 l! i( y6 p4 j
5 R" ?. ?( q+ {7 Y5 i T& m. zHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks.
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9 f3 C2 ?" ~# }7 Z/ o9 B"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. ; E0 a" B& R' H9 t7 J E; 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. 3 A% J, T; D5 ^6 I
0 p& x' x/ [( v5 d; K% x: \; z"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. ) ]* C) F9 k1 j6 I, q
) B4 F" s* k7 _"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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1 i, u6 B" {( E% s0 N. kThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said.
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! E5 H, z* n4 g5 z0 mThe 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. $ o* \9 U# W' g& X7 x( \0 l7 K
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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
