Ratepayers Urged To Attend Arc Open Days And Voice Their Opposition To Current Rating Rolicies

The Auckland Regional Council is holding a series of 'Open Days' seeking public input to the process of reviewing the way transport rates are set.

This falls well short of ratepayer demands that the whole rating structure be changed - not just the transport element.

At the extraordinary Council meeting on 13th August ARC chair Gwen Bull promised just that - a total review, and now we are getting only a transport rate review.

One must ask - has the ARC already forgotten the huge outcry from this years increase?

The public anger is about how the total rates bill is set - land value against capital value, business differentials, a uniforn annual general charge.

While the transport rate review does cover some of these issues, that only accounts for 57% of rates - ratepayers want 100% of the rates bill to be covered in this review.

All ratepayers should go to these open days and tell the ARC that there must be a full review of all rating issues - including instalment payments.

The ARC should also be told that ratepayers will not tolerate a further 18-20% increase next year on top of this year's huge and unfair rate hike.

The ARC, together with local councils, need to put extreme pressure on central government to cover any further funding requirement for public transport.

[Meanwhile tens of thousands of ratepayers are still withholding payment of all or part of this years rate]

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