RATING ON THE UNIMPROVED VALUE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17133, 8 September 1926, Page 10

RATING ON THE UNIMPROVED VALUE.

(To the Editor of the Herald.) Sir,---I have read with interest two letters on the above subject by " Capital Value" recent issues of the Herald. Will) many of the arguments for retaining the present system 1 certainly agree. lie uses the " ability to pay "'" argument, and then, contradicts it'by saying that houses should he exempt. '.Vw, I" my mind. a man wiio can all'ord lo build a large home can oi ought in be able ki pay a reasonable rate. Now. with the improving Mate of our loads, and with motor bus services, it is likely that people will use tin: country districts near town more and more as a residential area. Ts it fair that these people who will live on small areas, say three to live acre.-, with expensive houses and the use of good mads to and from town daily, should pay only peppercorn rates? 1 submit that to the average farmer the change over will make very little difference., except that the man with below the average improvement, i.e., apparently the man in the weakest financial state, except in exceptional eases, will p,i\ for his better-bit' neighbor. To prove, that the larger areas will get off fairly easily, I will take my own casc--1700 acres in the closely-settled Gisborne riding—present rate £l5O 13s. Under new system, £155. Some of my neighbors on similar country show similar results. Now someone must make up this difference in my case, of £ls, and I maintain it is the poorly-improved, highly-valued flat land that does it. Again in the same way someone must pay for the highly-improved residential section of the suburban dweller. The same man. pays again. In conclusion, I would strongly advise'all ratepayers to turn this poll down, as it has been spiung on the community at a moment's notice. The council has not considered the system and has given no lead or explanation of any kind to the ratepayers, and I believe that very few ratepayers clearly understand the position. 1 append a, comparison of rates for various ridings under the new and old systems, drawn up by the county clerk. Willi this schedule anyone can work end- his expected rate under the proposed new system.—l am, etc., GEORGE M. REYNOLDS. Capital Rate on I'iding value capital Produces.

Cnitnp. Kate on Hiding value unimp. Produce?

£ d £ s d Gisbomo . 932.174 1S6650 2 10 Haiigaroa . 918.116 In 7172 .15 7 M.nriwai . 654,176 U 3407 3 4 I'ak.mve .. 410,762 n 2623 10 3 PatutnJii . 046,313 i§ 6407 6 6 I'ouavva. . 400.153 n 2017 15 3 Tavylieru .. '244.643 1055 15 2 Waimata .. . 577.626 1-4 4211 17 i YVaingakp , .. 690,813 1?, 4677 7 7 YVhataupuko 499,153 la 3899 12 8 £4 3,623 6 3

ii, cl £ s d !i sllUl'lH' ... 706,716 21 6625 9 3 II niu'.'ivo.i ... 543,664 3.3-16 7220 10 9 M irivVai ... 454,815 1J 3396 19 10 1'. karat- ... 292,203 2.1-6 2640 8 10 1'. tutalii ... 672,181 2,5-16 6477 0 0 P. ua\v;i. ... 278.935 2.9-16 2978 4 3 Tj ruheru ... 179,855 2' 1636 2 5 W nniat.'i ... 382,420 25 4182 14 4 v\ tiii^ake ... 426,358 2% 4465 2 6 W bataupok o 552,388 21 3854 4 Jl £43.727 4 10