City rates

Press, 3 September 1986, Page 16

City rates

Sir, — D. J. O’Rourke is not keeping up with Labour Party thinking of “user-pays." I live in the eastern suburbs and can understand the unfair burden of rates on residents in Merivale. Many Merivale ratepayers have had the same sewer and cold water pipes into their properties for 30 years or more and they receive no extra benefits from the City Council. Why should they be penalised? — Yours, etc.,

R. A. JOHNSON. September 2, 1986. Sir,—The letter on rates from D. J. O’Rourke (September 1), is almost in the land of makebelieve. He must know that capital rating will result in horrendous rate rises for people living in modern ownership flats. My home on Hunstsbury Hill is modest. It has a rateable value of $62,500 — site value $40,000

and improvements, $22,500. Rates are $lOOO. If we go to capital'rating my rates will drop to $6OO, the average rate for Christchurch. (The same property in Heathcote currently pays $498 a year.) If D. J. O’Rourke can give- his assurance that Labour will ? immediately introduce capital rating then I will vote for it and save $4OO a year. Without doubt, my saving will be paid for by the Addington and Aranui ratepayers.—Yours, etc.,

RAY SPRING. September 1, 1986. Sir,—Cr Fahey (September 1) seems determined to misquote figures. My increase of 73 per cent is on City Council rates alone and does not include ad hoc bodies or GST. This applies in all cases that I have quoted. The figures have been taken from instalment two for 1985-86 and 1986-87. It is this amount that is most affected by the uniform charge. My quarterly instalments have actually gone up by approximately 133 per cent, but I realise this is due to several factors. Naturally, I found out about these increases by talking to people. How else does one find out the true story? Cr Fahey is himself “misinformed” in saying that I am a co-leader of the Christchurch South Rates Action Group. All I have tried to do is to relay the feelings and fears of people in the Addington area of his ward. Knowing my voting trend, to be accused of political bias is laughable. I can assure Cr Fahey that the feeling is not of animosity but rather of disappointment in councillors that some of us helped to elect. — Yours, etc., RUTH H. BARCOCK. September 2, 1986.