Re Faulkner's corner (Sun 17 Feb) is Cr. Bill Faulkner seriously suggesting that a viable alternative to the current rating system 'could” be that rates be levied as a percentage of individual ratepayers income being similar to the charging of the ACC Levy?
I can only assume from this that he is proposing that every resident, whether they own a property or not would be affected by such a levy in other words similar to the Poll Tax introduced some years ago in the UK that following disastrous ramifications was subsequently abolished.
The fundamental flaw with what he is potentially proposing is that not everyone pays an ACC levy and exactly the same could occur if rates were levied against income. Currently I understand that approximately 25% of taxpayers pay approximately 75% of the tax received by the Government and whilst I certainly agree that the current rating system is unsustainable into the future, it is obviously illogical to replace one unfair rating system with another even more unfair rating system.
We currently operate a full user pays system in respect to the supply of water in the city so is it not more sensible to consider expanding this so the largest users of services, provided by the city, are the major contributors to the cost of providing those services?
Mike Baker, Bethlehem.
3 comments
Rates sustainability
Posted on 11-03-2012 12:40 | By algail
While I would welcome the idea of rates being fired against earnings as I am a pensioner it really is just another kind of labour idea of attacking the rich. What is different about a rich person poo does go down a gold plated sewer or something like that.?We don't a fairer rates system as much as we need real business men running councils in this country that are hard and mean when it comes to spending money. We need people in there for the need to do good for the community rather than layabouts who are in it for the money. Look at Cambridge road which seems to me to be an Ok road being ripped up and re-laid at a staggering cost I bet. Why is a good road being ripped up and replaced when the council is short of money. The same thing happen on Moffat road and Beauimaris road good roads ripped up and resealed when they really didn't need it. Seems to me that all that matters to councilors in this country is the sustainability of high salaries and spending rather than the rates sustainability. Vote em in again next time and get more of the same you can't lose. You won't get change unless you bring about change. Alastair Bethlehem.
Almost Agree
Posted on 14-03-2012 14:10 | By Jitter
For once I agree 95% with what Mr Baker says. A poll type tax would work and be a just way of collecting rates because every person earning or owning property would have to pay. However just like the UK it would prove so unpopular and there would be mass protests so that the authorities would have to do away with it. However some sort of universal charging like a poll tax is one way of spreading the cost fairly right across the population.
Rates sustainability
Posted on 16-03-2012 15:02 | By algail
A poll tax would not get the same violent reactionhere that it got in England there are far less renters in NZ than there are in England. Renters didn't stop to think about the Poll tax implications. Currently if you rent a house you pay the rates for the landlord. If a poll tax was introduced that part of one's rent that goes towards the rates would / should come off your rent. A poll tax is a brilliant idea because a house with two people living in it pays the same rates as a house with 20 living in yet while the 20 put more strain on services they get those services for the same fee as the two and that simply isn't fair. The only thing against a poll tax as far as I am concerned is it would give the councils much more money than they currently waste which they would toss around like a man with no arms and it wouldn't be long before the poll tax had to be increased. Before we can do anything about raising extra monies for city / town services we have to have something in place to stop councils wasting money and paying themselves higher and higher salaries as they get their hands on more money. Alastair Bethlehem
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