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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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8 b/ ~; a) T4 |$ {4 CThink 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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* k' ^* }8 _7 w; C2 q6 R8 K% ?# gMandel 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. " x, x, \, k, U
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. ( |5 G, W* U5 s
, p3 h n+ R3 w- g. rCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates. v; h: t! o3 v+ n/ F( i2 D
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. % _$ \5 R! b2 A F
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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- J* f1 z; R) R9 G: J7 Z"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. 7 A3 |* g; Y" F4 {" y
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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9 l0 }7 n( c8 O! A3 N# BThe draft budget does not come out until November.
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, I( y2 ^2 [+ Q/ g2 O! b/ i"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said.
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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: [' R. e) b' L. bMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. 1 z0 _, x- E' D3 D
0 }+ |; t/ t- g. _$ n D1 q6 ZHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. 3 x% d6 V/ i' q3 ]
1 d8 s$ u' G ?* w7 x"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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8 w. J; T- o9 @0 V1 M$ X. nScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. . ~$ L* _) c5 m
; x8 P- L7 H& @* S0 f7 cHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. % z* L @: F9 g+ p A* F
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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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"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." & s' q% U& r! F0 I+ Q* m9 q1 G8 Z
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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. Y( T' y% w$ s6 i
' q5 I! k j, }2 B9 X1 fThe 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. 0 h6 J& e( u2 y! \" P
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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
