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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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. u' a/ V3 x! t4 `; BThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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D. j# v- \1 i0 YEdmontonians 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. - W; a8 q7 ~0 X9 s) P7 f: _! m7 k5 X0 {8 w
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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. p6 R/ n- h8 `/ n) N* i$ a
3 |( ?5 S; }3 B) w/ @8 J! x9 ]"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. 5 T/ o0 D! @2 b e- _6 s
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
2 {1 k- E4 k' M, g2 z"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 $200 a year.
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! n+ R. X* S, y"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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The draft budget does not come out until November.
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4 W" _- H$ S) n3 Y4 K1 M"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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0 `8 b# B% ~, b8 z3 C9 {Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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5 ~3 G, @! D% b' y, \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. $ |- ?5 z% ~) d* L
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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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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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% P! I* y' q/ Z+ j! Q& _9 y- n% E2 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."
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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said.
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) V9 `" W0 F3 L5 r' K* X: k1 pThe 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. 1 ]0 h, {) Y" z. P8 G* W' j
- D1 e/ P" K8 W! mTax 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
