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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike$ C3 Q8 v+ S8 G% y) U' N2 `
+ Z/ |8 I- R1 X3 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.
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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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! _7 j- c, a# t4 E+ d0 O: A% O"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. 8 b* e8 O% E0 _% E
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates7 X7 ]2 K* Y( y" J, ?% `
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. ( h9 h+ }) |0 ?$ P* |1 ?
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. . v R9 S1 f& W3 \: t8 @
/ t, s& C8 h& v, W" p1 n3 UCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. & F. r4 ^# x0 u, S) t
7 ~- ]. ?" L: U1 {/ S: `The draft budget does not come out until November. ; h! ^: w3 j1 a0 p' f
" K' ^5 v U: ~* S" e7 `* c4 l"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said. 1 ^% ^4 ^' L: G# X+ r& ^# d
4 W4 N9 H6 A% v3 p; M"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. 8 E8 i8 k* O: R& P2 D; Y+ `
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However, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. " r) s9 B8 o3 Q/ q# G
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"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program.
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- _* X/ x+ _) H6 nScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. ; F# s3 `# K2 x5 f/ l
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He said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city.
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"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 5 R3 Q" G4 S( I$ H4 }' s
0 X; X5 I, B; |1 x8 L) P"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." : P* L9 N q; x( z& c0 c& Q3 q
' R) A1 Y1 \* i3 RThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. 5 a5 w: a6 p# ]: r
4 z0 v+ X: w2 A& q3 ?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. " x* j" r* x( v1 Q6 c
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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
