 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
) E# E$ ~" m! g% B
1 B; y) _3 `; i) ^/ wThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
! P% @ a. f; Q0 ^7 P8 z4 F* Q, Q
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.
, I8 f' c* q$ c, t0 Y2 A. a4 L5 Q- c% {2 w/ H
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. ( h3 L* w+ R& Z$ {
. Y2 r7 M( {2 G* d& C"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
2 T6 L$ N9 _7 L3 S
. S- l* W5 [& P4 P/ y! H4 p8 s- ICity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates# X$ s% B% L4 [0 J0 `) S- X2 C
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. 2 H( v! P" P) c/ ?5 _) A( X1 e X. i
$ a( j( U" U' H
A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
6 y3 U! D/ W; |, K1 ?. `4 V d
9 m3 v: i! ]% K& t6 L" T"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
' y5 A* N3 U( u9 o+ T- R% H8 {/ W7 ?3 I+ ^1 r9 Z
Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
8 J$ Z9 L! Y& H# ]% X* \6 R5 X) D/ n& h- u: U3 h1 @9 E$ Z3 K
The draft budget does not come out until November.
8 H2 K9 y! C- C1 h# P ^
/ ~ k" f8 B; D& y( _"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. 5 t: z8 i' B4 I+ j3 @' w
f# w$ w: X" s$ j
"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
, Y: w s& }3 B6 V+ L9 R% S
! p; ?2 h/ c% L* b1 _+ V$ JMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. , r @' B! u D8 L' w5 J
2 Q/ T" ` ]2 N3 y' VHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. 3 D- N) z; S* X0 L
# U/ b b& h& f+ E1 g
"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program.
( ]/ J& F- i5 n3 {, [& z
( d! Y, Z: C: q, U, u9 cScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. 2 W; s( ]* C/ D$ o: I( D
. {2 y& B8 n- M1 a0 ?2 r( ^- x: uHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city.
% L) t% b$ T) }* C6 S7 }2 q, ?0 e! ~7 A
"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said.
9 {% \) S7 l& t7 j- q
{& P. F4 W) K"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." 2 |3 _8 [) a& S8 X
) m7 Z! q# |' K6 F' V+ dThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. . Q! p- |- e' I/ e2 C
& w6 C( l/ R8 K/ Z& ~5 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.
, F8 }" h @% y9 q
3 z% Z) |3 M$ U% v2 W& V! p; XTax 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
