Rates rebellion

Press, 10 January 1986, Page 12

Rates rebellion

Sir, — First the protesters withheld part payment of rates to get action, and succeeded. No doubt many are gaining high in-

terest on unpaid amounts. Now another blackmail — no penalty charge, or else. Rules are rules. Let there be no exceptions. There certainly are not for me if rate payments are even overlooked for one day. Perhaps we who have suffered ,so long and so patiently ought to have held the Drainage Board to ransom over the odour problem. Is it too late? Precedents can be set. We lower-valued areas have reluctantly ■ tolerated many city nuisances for years (the sewage farm' and • oxidation ponds, rubbish tips, cemeteries, crematorium, major electricity "substation and Queen Elizabeth II Park, with its problems of noise and traffic at times). The Valuation Department has reflected this in its valuations. Rating should continue to do likewise. Remember all ratepayers might benefit from all services, but certainly not equally. — Yours, etc., N. FREEMAN. January 8, 1986.

Sir,—Or Close should know that, the Christchurch City Council general rate is levied on land value not property value, which is synonymous with capital value. This has resulted in property such as, say Cr Lester’s, in Spreydon, having rates of around $5OO, a decrease of $1.50, whereas the rates on many properties in the Mount Pleasant area, with less valuable houses (by sight), have increased by $6OO, from around $9OO to over $l5OO. The subsidy has therefore gone from under 2 to 1 to 3 to 1 for properties receiving the same services. Labour councillors should be following the party line. Their leaders, Roger and David, are flat out abolishing subsidies. The benefit of higher values, which Cr Close says “many people acknowledge,” is of little concern to most eastern suburb ratepayers, as 95 per cent of them will pass on occupying their present houses or flats, and I understand transferring this benefit to the hereafter presents insurmountable difficulty. — Yours, etc.,

A. P. FAULLS. January 8, 1986.