LAND VALUATION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18205, 28 September 1933, Page 11

LAND VALUATION

AMENDING LEGISLATION LOCAL BODIES AND RATING During the recess the Minister ot Lands, the lion. E. A. Ransom, announced tho Government’s intention to amend sections 45 aud 50 of the \ ablation of Lands Act. .Section 50 gives a property-owner power to require a new valuation of his properly and orders that the valuation roll in force must Im amended according to the new valuation. Under section 45 a propertyowner may call upon the Grown to reduce the valuation of his property to his figure or to purchase at its own figure, j The Government considers that mi- j fair advantage lias been taken ot the i latter section during the present period of low prices for produce, and land, i while local bodies have objected to section £0 on the ground that in the absence of a general revaluation the redud ion of individual valuations imposed a greater burden of rates upon the general bodv of ratepayers whose valuations were not altered. The framing of legislation to meet this position and yet preserve the > rights of property-owners has proved j a difficult problem, but it is understood j that the form of the amendment In the j Act may he in the direction of giving j power to local bodies arbitrarily to ad j just, valuations lor rating purposes, i Presumably the object of such legislation would he to allow local bodies, in districts where reductions had been j made in individual valuations, to re j dure other valuations lor rating pur- \ poses so that the. burden of rales could , l.e spread more evenly, i ndor the pre- j sent system, when a fixed amount in i rales has to he collected over a given j area, those who have secured veduc , tions in (licit valuations escape I liciv J fair share of the rate levy and a propoll .ioiia.te.ly heavier burden is placed on other ratepayers.