Akaroa to retain annual rating

Press, 3 October 1985, Page 31

Akaroa to retain annual rating

The Akaroa County Council has decided against adopting instalment rating for the county within the next financial year. Instead, the council would use the original system of annual rating, said the Deputy County Clerk, Mr Tony Cole. The council at a meeting last Friday, voted unanimously to abandon an earlier decision to adopt instalment {©ting next year, 3tter a

motion put by Cr Tony Tapley. The earlier decision to adopt instalment rating had been delayed until ratepayers’ views could be canvassed, said Mr Cole. “Most residents in Akaroa township seemed to be in favour of the new system, but farmers objected because it did not coincide with their farming cycle of payment,” said Mr Cole. Under the proposed? sys-

tem, rates would have been paid in three instalments. At a meeting of the council in March, a member of Federated Farmers, Mr Paul de Latour, said that under instalment rating, two out of three payments would be made while farmers were working in overdraft With interest rates at 18 per cent, this would cost the average-size farm an extra $l5O a year, he said.