WANGANUI COUNTY VALUATIONS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 243, 14 October 1939, Page 6

WANGANUI COUNTY VALUATIONS

A BIG REDUCTION MADE CAPITAL DOWN BY £50.000 LOWER UNIMPROVED VALUES WILL AFFECT LAND TAX It was reported to a meeting of the Wanganui County Council yesterday [hat the Assessment Court, which has been sitting in Wanganui this week, had reduced the capital value of tho county by about £50,000. This will result, in £5OO less rates being collected than anticipated. The Court finished its work yesterday. It comprised Mr. A. A. McLachlan (chairman), Mr. H. Leighton. Government assessor, and Mr. H. J. Duigan, county assessor. It began its work on the county roll on Monday and took test cases in various localities, aiming to get as wide a representation of land as possible, both hill country and front country. Once those test cases were determined and. following on a pronouncement of the bases on which the Court intended to make its findings, an adjournment was taken to allow representatives of the Government Valuation Department (Mr. O. Gardner and Mr. L. Pleasants) to meet representatives of the objectors. This negotiation greatly reduced the detailed work of the Court, which contented itself with bringing out full and comprehensive evidence in the test cases it heard and on which it gave decisions. Valuable Evidence Given Very valuable evidence was given by two valuers, Mr. M. B. Hirst, Wanganui. and Mr. W. Matthews, Waverley. They appeared in support of objections put forward by the Wanganui County Ratepayers’ Association, represented by Mr. A. A. Barton, and for individual objectors. Considerable reduction has been made by the Court in unimproved values on which land tax is collected. Typical cases, taken from the roll to give an indication of the reductions in both back-country and front-country properties, can be quoted: .Kakatahi: 1279 acres; Valuation Department’s assessment, of unimproved value, £4 an acre; Court's finding (arrived at by agreement), £2 15s an acre. Kakatahi; 1451 acres; £3 6s to £1 12s 6d. No. 1 Line, Fordell-Warrengate region: 877 acres, £l4 reduced to £lO 5t an acre; £l2 15s to £9 10s; £l2 16s to £9 10s. Wangaehu Valley area: 1900 acres; £9 2s to £6 7s 6d; 1139 acres, £l2 to £8 15s. Okoia-Makirikiri area: 120(5 acres. £ll to £7 15s; 900 acres, £6 10s to £3 10s. £4OO Less Land Tax One owner worked out figures showing that as a result of the lower unimproved values he will have to find £4OO Jess land tax than would have been the case had the higher values on the roll been sustained. The Court has to sit now in th? Manawatu area and the same personnel will act there as in Wanganu , Messrs. MacLachlan (chairman 1 . Leighton and Duigan.