RATING PROBLEMS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20126, 20 April 1928, Page 7

RATING PROBLEMS

COMMISSION TO SIT Anomalies to be Dealt With for Dominion Application OTAKI THE VENUE. [ Per Pre*? Association. ] WELLINGTON, April 19. The Government is setting up a commission of inquiry to d 1 with rating matters in. the Borough if Otaki. The Hon. A. D .AlcLeod, Alinister in charge of the Valuation Department, said to-day, “The inability of small farmers holding areas within boroughs and town districts to meet increasing demands for payment of both general and special rates on their properties has been j romincntly brought under the notice of thc Government in recent years by way of requests for local Bills, and for commissions for the purpose of excluding their farms from the borough b ndary. In both cases the object is co avoid payment of the heavy borough taxation, which, in a growing number of instances amounts to practically an entire confiscation of The value of thc land, and it is not uncommon to see a variation of up to 1000 pc/’ cent, in the local taxes levied upon ore property merely because one portion of it is sicuated within a borough ar ■* the other in an adjacent county.

“In a few cases local Bills have been passed by Parliament in an endeavour to rectify the anomaly, but thc most popular means has K by way of a petition to exclude the areas affected, from thc borough limits. This method, however, does not provide a solution, for the following reasons:— (1) Protection of local body finances. (2) Continuing liability of excluded lands for special rates. “The whole question of a remedy has boon under consideration by the Department of Internal Affairs, and the Valuation Department for some time, and in view of the fact that it is of such general importance, in that such diverse interests are involved, the Government has decided to set up a commission to make a comprehensive inquiry into the matter as it Obtains in thc Borough of Otaki.

“This commission, which consists of Air R. Watson, Stipendiary Alagistrate, of Fcilding, as chairman, Air W. T. Strand, Alayor of Lower Hutt, and Air W. Nash, General Secretary of the New Zealand Labour Party, proposes to commence investigations at Otaki on Alay 8 next.

“The order o" reference submitted for thc consideration of this commission is very wide, embracing questions relating to boundaries, wards, heath valuations, loans and different rating systems.” The Otaki borough was selected for investigation because it presents a typical instance of the problem referred to*, and is easily accessible to expert witnesses. It is the incere desire of the Government that he fullest inquiry be made into all matters which may either directly or indirectly be the. cause of the difficulties referred to.