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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike/ O5 X, V+ i7 p9 A; {; v
* w' z- ~! j& p/ W0 i ~7 \Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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% i$ u( {7 b+ j! O$ REdmontonians 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. $ ^( c6 ~: ?' E8 n
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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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/ ]- @& k( O/ @* u' J# @/ q" N"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. : C. h1 f/ P0 F7 H( l$ Y; j
" j( G9 o6 s3 D6 C4 t) ICity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates6 e# K- t2 t+ s# ?7 Q
"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 $200 a year. 8 q; V: ^+ I4 ~- u
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. 8 z" Q k5 H1 I; [, o3 u
, O, s8 p5 B3 V- M/ a0 sCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. # p2 O6 c& w0 W' X
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The draft budget does not come out until November. 6 {: x" M7 M9 j7 d1 a6 V [4 e: ]
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"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said. 6 B1 ]$ H4 e: d0 G5 Z' \" u; o: W
4 d- ~! k/ v+ o"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." / ^' E9 n- M9 O1 Q0 @
K( G% t& g6 r3 J' o1 WMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. 7 j3 w% ~+ w# R2 x$ F
$ p) L# `/ [$ `% CHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks.
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1 a& U3 J* L0 \9 R9 n"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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6 F6 W' @# V a |, EScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
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* r& u. U" l, y; ]He said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. , s" @' m8 ~3 t) @% b& ~
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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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. s1 w2 m, I! \& W% P" A"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. % b' p S& b. k" v- z4 y
; ^% _" z, c. ^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.
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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
