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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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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. 3 U* b* }7 Z& A' k
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. : F9 ]8 ^9 I" _5 T V8 C
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates" c, n: ~7 j9 I5 I
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. % |$ @* g$ c. ^# P t B- N
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. ; i% I: Z" H: {
4 n) L/ z) q/ c/ _* J$ m2 C% C/ 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. ?" r( ~8 n: E5 v3 o
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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.
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& w) F3 d2 T" s$ _3 F' N! 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.
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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. S. H) F& n8 M6 ~Maurer 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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"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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' e9 P* R) J% o7 C+ i5 PHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. 7 t/ N/ G+ B: l p! E$ C
9 I# ?5 R3 H/ B3 T5 k! E"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said.
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"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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. Y: J" m) u3 ]) BThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said.
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% _+ b" q N, |* U0 j7 |: E$ HThe 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. ' _3 { N" i" V7 ^0 M6 d
2 o( c8 w0 ]; [( n$ W; pTax 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
