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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike- o" g7 o* \5 ^% w- D7 j2 B8 |
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Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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6 I- r! @( Q! p# H+ ]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. ! C; g& w- B5 ?$ } n1 g4 W- C
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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. $ ?$ }- y/ n. ~: \4 G
9 n6 _0 Y) g6 ?; E+ D p"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
8 I- V0 Z9 r( o( B& F"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. J5 s: B0 G& }- B7 L; x
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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3 m+ K; S% r+ ?$ 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.
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; W4 K& d6 y9 E' B+ C* ?9 bCoun. 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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The draft budget does not come out until November. 8 Z- J: t6 d: {1 f+ B
) G, p# m, I3 v"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. ' `! K n& \0 c, I) L* G
4 y! ^) j+ X( @2 n3 j"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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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. ( Q E' H2 ?8 @
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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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- C/ m4 R- Q, f6 g7 Z0 i. [Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
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5 V# O- h( Z( x6 I7 |4 i' _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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! l) O3 \$ e2 p) T+ I M7 N"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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8 D K6 p2 j8 w4 J8 E6 Y; rThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. - b. v$ v2 p8 o& ~; T2 d
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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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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
