THE CITY VALUATIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 34, 10 February 1891, Page 4

THE CITY VALUATIONS.

There appears to be a good deal of dis. satisfaction with the valuations of city property for the current year, of which notices have just been issued. Although city property has certainly nob increased in value during the past twelve months, bub bwifij* W 'ttoti. o__iipaney«__dttth** s <j&itf&a of rapid deterioration, is, on the:ttVe_age, probably of less value than before, theaggregateof the assessment i? considerably greater than it was twelve months ago, and this enhancement appears to have been made up in many cases by the addition to the annual value of a few pounds, apparently on the chance thab the property-owner will nob go to the trouble of appealing. A correspondent writing with regard to the assessment says : " There are probably some hundreds of ratepayers who would indeed feel grateful if you could afford them some light upon the legality of the amount upon which rates are levied. For example: If house property lets for, say, twenty shillings weekly,,, is ib legal that the same should be rated for £52 per annum ? or a cottage ab ten shillings weakly, for £26 per annum ? Does nob the Municipal Act allow a drawback of twenty per cent, to cover repairs, non-occupation, etc. ? Can you, sir, answer this last-named ?" The Rating Act, 1876, is very explicib. Ib provides that ratable value means the rent at which a property will let from year to year, deducting therefrom twenty per cent in cases of houses, buildings and other perishable property, and ten per cent, in the case of land, bub in no case is the value to be assessed at less than five per cent, on the fee simple, the value to be determined by the actual selling price. There is unquestionably a disposition among city officers to get as much revenue as possible oub of ratepayers, but considering the poor return that has been obtained from property of late years, owners have a right to expect thab consideration shall be given to the low average revenue which is derivable from property of every description. Appeals must be lodged addressed to the Assessment Court, a. the Municipal Buildings, on or before Saturday next. Property-owners, therefore, should lose no time in examining the valuations that have been placed upon their properties, and objecting it they consider the valuation excessive as interpreted by the provisions of the Acb quoted above. Objection forms may be obtained ab bhe office of this journal.