COUNTY COUNCIL RATES.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume VI, Issue 340, 27 January 1917, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL RATES.

[to the editor.l

Llr, —A notice appears in the daily papers from the clerk of the H.B. Countv Council, notifying rate-pay-ers that an additional charge of 10 per cent will be added to the unpaid rates after February 14th, 1917This notice requires some explanation. On the rate demand there appears the following: “Period tor which rate payable,” April Ist 1916, to March 31st, 1917. The only way of reading this is, that March 31st 1917, is the limit allowed to pay the rates. Perhaps Mr. Ferguson will explain. I am, etc., RATE-PAYER.

[The words “period for which rate payable” are evidently used to denote the period covered by the rate. All rates arc levied annually and are payable as soon as levied. Obviously it is necessary to specify this annual period by mentioning the first and last date, viz., April Ist 1916 to March 31st, 1917. * Legally the Council can recover rates fourteen days after issue of the notices. The ten per cent charge is added to unpaid rates six months after the notices are sent out. Under “The Municipal Corporations Act, 1908, the Council is compelled to make this additional charge at that time].