 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike- Z& D2 [, E. _1 j+ r8 J. k$ i
" z' I) g% n7 e9 ~/ E( u6 KThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
1 T1 L& t6 N/ B9 W5 F# H. ~8 j0 L
4 L4 ?# N9 F. q( j z" U+ oEdmontonians 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. # v2 J/ M- K1 X
0 V& F/ v7 |) a+ C+ E5 X2 x) D
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. 3 a) |( T0 c3 G" D
! p7 @ P# v" `& z A; j0 _"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. ! P6 l2 C+ [7 P- {' q Y+ G
4 w8 P+ M# \7 K1 O7 @$ nCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
! e2 d* ?; T+ f$ _. w, D5 L7 }9 s"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. 0 z- W6 Y( V9 D0 E( I( ?
, B! d) s5 K; x. ?
A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. & \1 J4 z; z) V% t, r5 c
4 D; a' k, o- I" u
"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. 2 @- o. s, `2 e; D, P
0 T4 w; K8 S; y' k% lCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
% g/ S' f1 @3 L; ?8 ^% d4 f5 @9 H1 X$ X6 Q! v) S% x" B
The draft budget does not come out until November. 1 U' V7 l1 c# S+ d
8 ]3 c1 Z. b" z, j"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.
" t4 C. }* N' j' k9 c
+ P) z- N& a. d. ^; ["It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
+ m" \' c' {3 p. B/ Z9 e/ n- N& B1 |
Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
5 u6 I# |" m0 L7 k7 M# i( e4 w: I h+ M- @( w+ y
However, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. " L* G% D a, P
" Y: b# j9 ]1 }
"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program. 1 P9 t; u$ y- O4 F" u
4 ~5 E- ^; g9 _, t6 e8 q% s3 t$ `
Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. 2 s' X( f) c8 F5 k9 j! R
' S* b: v% @ n |" }8 T: N
He said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. 2 V. I p( @2 W5 H
" M: q9 ^4 b5 [/ S"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. & P9 ? `4 G4 x! F# b
8 S3 L, P* F: ]; i8 Z% T"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." 5 S. U0 D1 f) u9 Q+ l! {: T
9 J9 @; Y: Q! t, tThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said.
G# A( G+ N0 d# L
( t' i9 P# i/ q7 m& _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. , z4 B: e# K: k" g3 v
& Q8 U' F9 `0 e' TTax bills will be mailed May 25 and payments are due June 30. |
|
狗仔卡
发表于 2007-5-9 22:25
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
显身卡
发表于 2007-5-10 11:37
