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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike2 c" U7 T/ i3 r4 g1 w) a
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Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. & J+ j, t( h- Z" N
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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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& A' Y: m* O _7 E" jMandel 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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8 ?/ m6 p9 [. p, z1 j"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. " A) `& |9 B# X9 P. X
$ _" S, N' k" o* C; A( nCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
4 e' C5 Y; w7 r: r( j' b. F e/ j"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. # \6 V" M( l- ]! S3 \& \
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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! G. a! ~+ k, Y"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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6 s# K7 j+ D0 |% t, R, oCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. $ w9 [4 h Z2 p7 `
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The draft budget does not come out until November. ; K. P5 {' o7 C- _7 L
7 q# ]. b- i, g4 Y! h"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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/ E2 ^& g B* {7 J9 v"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." % E! B' o9 z' A3 P: |! B% C4 Q
3 j8 U5 \) N( I6 W; l- M! tMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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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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; D8 Z- @7 H# N4 @7 C Y: B% k"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program. 0 B( J) J4 ~: k T
, z0 `4 q; f+ g5 _4 O" I* b9 dScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. 5 S- ?6 F* r1 E2 J" O3 e2 }
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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. ) a* P3 n( d( x$ C6 t9 i- v
3 T8 X# | W" d6 S"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." ' l1 _6 H6 C# W& U1 j: o4 {
7 ^! t1 ^( C0 u: Y8 S% ZThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. * Z, J1 ?" V7 s, X( g7 a6 \. v/ r
. K3 t3 h# Z6 @8 Y+ 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.
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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
