City of Edmonton recommends tax increase in pre budget [Video]

The City of Edmonton is recommending a 8.1 per cent tax increase for 2025 in its draft budget to tackle the shortfalls city council is facing. 

With the cost of inflation and population growth, it’s becoming more expensive to deliver the same services, the city said in a news release on Thursday.

City staff is projecting a $34 million deficit this year.

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“While we planned for these pressures, they’re much bigger than forecasted when we developed the four-year budget in 2022,” said Stacey Padbury, Chief Financial Officer and Deputy City Manager, in a news release.

Padbury says it’s unsustainable to be paying for services beyond its budget.

“Like many Edmontonians who continue to deal with high costs, we have to make some tough choices about what money we have coming in and what we’re spending it on.”

The approved seven per cent tax hike was made in April to help …