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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike2 U) |, I m( o) z
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Think 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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" F4 v% Q. H. N' 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
5 i; s+ B# i1 Y7 c"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.
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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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9 k8 j/ Y; W! `Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. . S' t! x5 G/ _ a4 _7 X, S; a
$ u- `6 b% O; v5 b. `, xThe 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. 8 v* m9 k; p4 X0 h5 C! G1 p( S' Z8 i
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." 1 j% @; B8 C5 A3 u
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. 8 L8 i% N8 d; N4 |& h+ K* G
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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. : |8 o8 J; v. |/ z* Y6 R
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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. . b. |$ r$ J; }) S# P
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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.
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/ {- ^/ }- b: u. {2 A5 V; a) Z"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. / Z: Y. Z0 X( z# Z2 x# v8 S$ G1 _
$ x3 [4 M. C% E4 f( h% ^ H2 ]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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& X" p; L& z5 M+ W9 WTax 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
