BOROUGH VALUATIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 182, 3 August 1932, Page 8

BOROUGH VALUATIONS.

AMENDING LEGISLATION.

ALTERATION IN SYSTEM ?

INTIMATION BY MINISTER,

The introduction next session of important amendments to the Valuation of Land Act was foreshadowed in a letter from the Hon. E. A. Ransom, Minister of Land, received by the Northcote Borough Council last night. According to opinions expressed to-day, the legislation will be welcomed by local bodies.

Mr. A. Harris, M.P. for Waitcmata, sent to the council a letter he had received from the Valuation Department, which said that the matter of revaluation in Northcote had been discussed by the Minister with the ValuerGeneral. The programme of revision work for the period ending March 31, 1933, had not been arranged, .and the claims of Takapuna and Northcote would not be overlooked. The Minister said that the disabilities of sections 45 and 50' of the Valuation of Land Act, 1925, were fully recognised, and it was proposed at the next session of Parliament to bring down amending legislation.

The sections referred to by the Minister refer to the rights of property owners who are dissatisfied with the value fixed by the Assessment Court to give notice to the Valuer-General to reduce the capital value or acquire the land, and to apply for new valuations.

It was stated to-day that for some time local bodies affected by the particular provisions had been pressing for amending,legislation in view of the effect the existing sections had had on borough finances.. Under the ptesent system, it was declared, ratepayers who were conscious of their resppnsibilities were being penalised, and had to carry the whole burden of the rates. Repeal of the sections was favoured, provided some provision was made for exceptional cases, and it was suggested that where dissatisfaction existed with the valuations the fairest method would be a general revaluation.of the whole borough.

Mr. George Lawson, Mayor of New Lynn, said that the operations of the sections were distinctly to the detriment of borough finances, because under the system a property-holder could bring down the valuation to whatever figure he chose, well knowing that the State would not exercise its option to' buy the property. In effect the man was able to fix his own valuation/ and anomalies were immediately created as far as the other ratepayers were concerned.. To meet the position local bodies had either to striko heavier rates or cut down their services to correspond with the decline in revenue. The Act should be amended in the direction of giving the local authority the same powers as the Crown with respect to purchases, so that the public could have an opportunity of buying at the valuation fixed. by the owner.

Mr. Lawson stated that for the year which ended on March 31 last offers under section 45 resulted in compulsory reductions in values amounting to £8750. In the current year further reductions, relating in many cases to the same properties, had been secured to the extent of £4390. Thus £13,140 had been deducted from certain individual properties, wnicn, at the ruling general rate of l/ 2£ in the £, meant that £790 in general rates had been shouldered by the rest of the community in one year alone.