URBAN FARM LANDS

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 290, 2 September 1933, Page 7

URBAN FARM LANDS

Administrate of Measure FAIR RATING' LIABILITY

Administrative work carried out under the Urban Farm Land Rating Act passed at the last session of Parliament'was reviewed yesterday in a statement issued by the Minister of Internal Affairs,. Hon. J. A. Young. The. Minister explained that the Act was* passed for x the purpose of affording farmer ratepayers in municipalities a means of obtaining a reduction in rates where the amount payable by-them was considered excessive. “The scheme" of the Act, briefly,” said Mr. Youpg, “is that on receipt of a request from a farmer, the council, If satis-fled that a. prima facie case for relief, exists, is required to prepare-a farm-land list for the borough. On this list are entered particulars of all farming properties of,three acres and over, and a ‘special rateable, value,' which is, really of a fictitious nature, is for the time being, assigned to those 1 , properties. “There are various machinery clauses providing for the advertising and due consideration of the farmland list, and when it has been finally prepared, these special rateable: values become the basis of the borough rates for the farming properties concerned. This method of approaching the matter per medium of fictitious values was adopted primarily for the practical convenience of the local authorities as it provides an easy means of calculating the rates. . . . ■ Dealing With Objections. “After the farm-land list has' been advertised; if there are any objections to the contents of it, provision is made for these objections to be considered by an Assessment Court. The court consists of the magistrate for the district, a nominee of the local authority, and a nominee of the Minister of Internal Affairs. The Assessment Court has final jurisdiction to determine all questions relating to the contents of the farm-land list. « “The Urban Farm Land Rating Act applies to boroughs, town districts not forming part of any county, and road districts in the Eden County. 1 . “A large number of local authorities have been engaged in the preparation of farm-land lists for their respective districts, and it is apparent that in a number of cases the ’local authorities’ decisions are not acceptable to the farmers seeking relief, consequently it has been necessary to establish several Assessment Courts, and a number of others are in the process of being set up now. Up to the present, Assessment Courts have been appointed for eight boroughs and one road district, and those at present under consideration comprise eight boroughs and one town district. Special Rateable Values. “In order to remove certain misapprehension which seems to have arisen, it is appropriate to mention that the special rateable values inserted in the farm-land lists are not to be regarded as being the valuations of . the properties concerned. The ordinary values as contained in the valuation roll are still retained as the values of the properties for all purposes except the assessment of municipal rates. “The Urban Farm Land Rating Act, Mr. Young continued, “is not a valuation measure, but rather its object is to. try to assess a fair rating liability for the farms to bear, having regard to the limited scope to which the ordinary municipal services are available to these properties. It is possible to decide this measure of relief by mean® other than resorting to valuation entries, but on careful examination of the position it was found that other means might be unduly cumbersome, ’ and the method adopted in the Act was preferred on account of its simplicity. . , .. , “It should also be. mentioned that while farming properties of less than three acres are not included in the farm-land list when it is first prepared, there are special provisions in the Act enabling this class of property also to be considered for special relief from excessive rates.”