Rating topic for national forum

Press, 25 January 1979, Page 18

Rating topic for national forum

’A 1 Wellington A national forum to discuss rating will be held at Victoria University in Wellington next month. It is the first stage in the review of the Rating Act, 1967, which was promised by the National Government in it 1978 Election manifesto. The forum will be held on February 20 and 21. Representatives of most national organisations with an interest in rating have been invited. The two-day discussions will be held under the auspices of the Department of Internal Affairs and the Minister of Local Government (Mr Highet). The invitation, sent to about 80 groups affected, says the forum will aim to bring together those people with an interest in rating to discuss what new legislation should contain and what it should try to achieve. After the opening by the Minister, the forum will break into three working parties to discuss rating systems, rating issues and differential rating, and chairmen will report back during the plenary session on the

final afternoon. Other sources of local government finance, however, will not be discussed.

Participants will also hear an address on differentia! rating from the Chief Ombudsman (Mr George Laking). who is known to have strong views on the subject. In the case notes section of the Ombudsman’s report in March, 1977,, he said the provisions of the Local Government Act authorising the adoption of differential rating were of might be unreasonable, unjust, oppressive or improperly discriminatory.

He has also recommended to the Minister that thev be reconsidered. Mr B. D. Sharplin, manager of Rodney County Council will represent the Territorial Local Government Council. He will discuss rating problems encountered by local authorities. At least seven Australians will attend the forum, including two State Ministers of Local Government — Mr R. J. Hinze from Queensland and Mr A. J. Hunt from Victoria. The remaining five

officials include the permanent head of Victoria’s Department of Local Government, the Commissioner of Town and Country Planning in Tasmania, and the First Assistant Secretary of the Department of Capital Territory.

Those invited by the department to take part cover a wide range of New Zealand interests.

Representatives of the main ratepayers’ groups in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch — in the absence of their having a national body — have been invited to attend, as well as one delegate each from Federated Farmers, the Consumers’ Institute, the Chamber of Commerce, the Municipal and Counties Associations, Government departments, t h e Retailers and Manufacturers’ Federations. and pest destruction authorities.

The organiser of the forum for the Department of Internal Affairs (Mr Andrew Mackenzie) said a full report would be made from the forum’s discussions and it would be considered by a working party set up to redraft the rating legislation.