TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 1977
RATES PAYABLE IN 1977-78
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THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY HAS PROPOSED THE INTRODUCTION OF A RELIEF SCHEME TO HELP RATEPAYERS WHO MAY BE PARTICULARLY AFFECTED BY REVALUATION OF THEIR PREMISES, THE SCHEME APPLIES IN ALL. CASES WHERE THE INCREASED RATES PAYABLE IN 1977/78 ARE SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THOSE PAYABLE IN 1976/77.
UNDER THE PROPOSED SCHEME REVEALED BY THE HON. PHILIP HADDON-CAVE IN HIS BUDGET SPEECH ON MARCH 2, THE RATES PAYABLE BY A RATEPAYER IN 1977/78 SHOULD NOT INCREASE BY MORE THAN 33-1/3 PER CENT OF THE RATES PAID BY HIM IN 1976/77 AND THE MAXIMUM INCREASE IN RATES PAYABLE IN 1978/79 SHOULD NOT BE MORE THAN 33-1/3 PER CENT OF THOSE PAID IN 1977/78.
FOR A PREMISES WITH A RATEABLE VALUE OF $3,000 IN 1976/77, THE MAXIMUM INCREASE IN RATES OVER THE PRECEDING YEAR PAYABLE UNDER THE PROPOSED RELIEF SCHEME WOULD NOT BE MORE THAN $15 A MONTH IN 1977/78 AND $20 A MONTH IN 1978/79.
FOR A RATEPAYER WHOSE PREMISES'S RATEABLE VALUE IN 1976/77 IS $7,200, THE MAXIMUM INCREASE OVER THE PRECEDING YEAR WOULD NOT EXCEED $36 IN 1977/78 AND $48 IN 78/79.
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY ALSO PROPOSED THAT THE RELIEF SCHEME FOR PRE-WAR RENT-CONTROLLED PREMISES, SHOULD APPLY BEYOND 1978/79 FOR SO LONG AS IT TAKES TO BRING TOTÁL RATES UP TO THE FULL CHARGE. THIS MEANS THAT IN EACH SUCCESSIVE YEAR, THE AMOUNT PAYABLE WILL NOT EXCEED BY MORE THAN 33-1/3 PER CENT OF THE AMOUNT PAYABLE IN THE IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING YEAR.
ON AVERAGE, THE MAXIMUM INCREASE OVER THE PRECEDING YEAR FOR A PRE-WAR DOMESTIC UNIT WHERE RENT PAYABLE APPROXIMATES PERMITTED RENT, WOULD BE $4.72 A MONTH IN 1977/78, $6.29 IN 1978/79 AND $8.39 IN 1979/80.
IN 1977/78, OVER 100,000 RATEPAYERS WILL ENJOY RELIEF UNDER THE SCHEME PROPOSED AND ABOUT 12,000 IN 1978/79, LEAVING ONLY SOME 8,000 PRE-WAR RENT-CONTROLLED PREMISES IN 1979/80 WHICH WILL CONTINUE TO ENJOY RELIEF UNDER THE EXTENDED SCHEME.
FOR THE GENERALITY OF RATEPAYERS, THE AVERAGE INCREASE IN RATES PAYABLE FOR 1977/78 WILL BE ABOUT 15 PER CENT AND SOME 75,000 RATEPAYERS OR ABOUT ONE IN SIX WILL ACTUALLY PAY LESS RATES IN 1977/78 THAN THEY PAID IN 1976/77.
IN ANNOUNCING THE SCHEME, MR. HADDON-CAVE MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE SCHEME WILL OPERATE BY REFERENCE TO TOTAL RATES PAYABLE, BUT THE REVENUE FOREGONE WILL BE AT THE EXPENSE OF THE GENERAL RATE, NOT THE URBAN COUNCIL RATE. THE COUNCIL WILL RECEIVE THE FULL AMOUNT OF THE FOUR PER CENT URBAN COUNCIL RATE PROPOSED FOR 1977/78.
/AMENDMENTS