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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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0 B/ }7 Y2 H% x+ sThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. x7 {0 F" d1 {) P! F6 v
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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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" K% S) i o' s! k, {5 C" y% {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. 9 j2 C" k7 @9 U/ e2 S) O; j
9 ~6 y% \& u& C; j& t"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
$ m# W; v6 o' h"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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, o8 s/ v# P. pA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. 6 I0 Z" T/ v5 ] S, K
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The draft budget does not come out until November.
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"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said.
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h$ r! T2 o3 Q9 T' T) C. |2 H"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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5 |( s. b* H- \; [- U& A2 ~Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. ( e5 r- K8 R7 q' }. @
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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. ) u5 k9 C9 d! D4 X& q' z
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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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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
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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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* T4 {8 ?( g5 x"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. : t0 I. K$ H) r0 L- `. F
6 \$ C* l6 F8 c3 M5 A3 E/ I c. l"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." , d. w# H. Q* _4 H5 U
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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said.
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$ Z! A; i1 A+ ]' k! i# bThe 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. 6 ]3 l) c2 V7 l. T; ]. i# g
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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
