RATING ON UNIMPROVED VALUE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 269, 28 October 1932, Page 8

RATING ON UNIMPROVED VALUE

(To the Editor.) Sir, —I have been approached by several ratepayers to give my opinion on how rating on the unimproved value would affect the farmers in the Heretaunga riding. Firstly, I would like to point out that the farmers generally in the Heretaunga riding own the same class of land. Secondly, that rating on the unimproved value must shift the rate from the residential areas, factories, shops, hotels, freezing works, and fruit farms, onto the farmers, small or large. Several correspondents have stated that the small dairy farmers are to benefit by rating on the unimproved value, and as 90 per cent, of the ratepayers in the Heretaunga riding are holders of fruit farms and small dairy farms, who is going to bear the extra rate? I have no hesitation in saying the farmers (small or large). Let us take for an example under the unimproved rating, a fruit farm of 10 acres and alongside of it a dairy farm of 20 acres. The dairy farmer will pay twice the amount in rates as the fruit farmer, and his income from his dairy farm will not be half as much. Don’t let the smalt farmer or fruitgrower run away with the idea that by increasing the rate on the large sheepowners, it is going to relieve them of rates in the Heretaunga riding. Its rate has to provide for its own work.

I want it clearly understood that this year the Highways Board has reduced the amount for maintenance on the Fernhill and Railway roads, and tjie amounts allowed will not keep them iu good repair. Therefore extra riding moneys may be needed for these roads, and as the dairy farmers cannot carry a heavier rate than at present, it will be a matter for the fruitgrowers to choose between worse roads under unimproved rating, or improved roads under capital value rating, and what gain they will receive in rates they will doubly lose in damage to fruit in transport and extra running costs on lorries. The proposition 1 have put up to the Highways Board, in regard to the Fernhill road, if accepted by them cannot go on under unimproved rating. I also recognise that to include the fruitgrowers’ trees in the capital value for rating purposes is unjust. They should only have the same improvements included as the farmers, but 1 am given to understand that the fruitgrowers have repeatedly asked the Government to take into account the fruit trees on the capital value for the purpose of raising moneys on fruit farms, so then to a certain extent they seem to have brought this on themselves.

Now we will take the hospital rate. It is levied on the capital value by ths Hospital Board, and at present struck on the capital value by the county, so under the unimproved rating this rate also will be shifted from the residential areas, factories, shops, hotels, freezing worlfe, fruit farms, onto the farmers I have all the machinery ready for a twq-coat seal of five miles of main riding roads in the Heretaunga riding These roads include a mile in each oi St. George’s (to the south), Riverstea, EVendon, Ell wood, and Twyford roads. 1 will ask the residential ratepayers who live on these roads, is it fair to put down improved roads and for them to be rated on the unimproved value? And no doubt, if rating on the unimproved value is carried, then the question will be raised at the next meeting of the council, can this work proceed ? I will! then have to reconsider sealing road# in the Heretaunga riding. It is my intention to seal all main roads in my riding, so that a reduction in rates wall be made, but it seems as if my plans may now be upset. The general principle now is to try and derate farm lands, not to extra rate them, and as it has been stated that six out of seven counties in Hawke’s Bay rate on unimproved value, why not the seventh ? My answei to this is that no other county has so many residenthili areas and industries as ours. I was speaking to a councillor of the Waipawa County and he stated that now that Otane nad been brought into Qieir county they can see the mistake in rating on unimproved value with residential areas. I have tried to show how rating on the unimproved value wjll affect the ratepayers generally. Some will gain, others lose, so let every ratepayer co to the poll and record his vote for what he considers is fair to the largest majority.—l am, etc., CHRIS. LASSEN, Member Heretaunga Riding. Hastings, 28/10/32.