XN000022-1981-05-27 — Page 9

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 1981

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IMPORTANT CHANGES TO RATING LAW

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THE RATING (AMENDMENT) BILL WAS PASSED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY WITH SEVERAL AMENDMENTS.

THE CHANGES WERE RECOMMENDED BY THE LEGISLATION SCRUTINY GROUP OF UNOFFICIALS AFTER A MEETING WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.

GROUP CONVENER, THE HON PETER C. WONG, SAID DURING THE RESUMED DEBATE THAT SOME OF THE AMENDMENTS PROPOSED IN THE BILL REPRESENT IMPORTANT CHANGES TO RATING LAW AND PRACTICE WHILE OTHERS ARE OF A RELATIVELY MINOR NATURE TO CLARIFY THE LAW AND TO ENSURE THAT IT ACCORDS WITH MODERN PRACTICES.

APART FROM THE AGREED CHANGES, HE SAID, THREE OTHER POINTS DESERVE MENTION.

THE FIRST POINT RELATES TO THE PROPOSED EXTENSION OF THE CURRENT TWELVE-MONTH PERIOD OF BACK-DATING INTERIM VALUATIONS TO 24 MONTHS.

SUBJECT TO A TRANSITIONAL PROVISION, THE EFFECT OF THE EXTENSION IS TO PREVENT ANY DEMANDS FOR MORE THAN 12 MONTHS BACK RATES BEING ISSUED UNTIL AFTER DECEMBER 1981.

THEREAFTER THE MAXIMUM BACK-DATING PERIOD WILL BE GRADUALLY INCREASED UNTIL DECEMBER 1982 AFTER WHICH THE FULL 24 MONTHS BACK-DATING WILL BE POSSIBLE, HE SAID.

+ IT IS NOT GOVERNMENT'S INTENTION TO RELY UPON THE ADDITIONAL PERIOD FOR BACK-DATING AS A MATTER OF ROUTINE.

+UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES PROPERTIES WILL BE ASSESSED SO THAT INTER IM DEMANDS ARE ISSUED FOR NOT MORE THAN 12 MONTHS RATES.

+THE PROPOSED ADDITIONAL PERIOD IS FOR THE PROTECTION OF REVENUE DURING OCCASIONAL PERIODS OF PRESSURE WHEN THE RATING AND VALUATION DEPARTMENT IS HARD PRESSED FOR SOME REASON E.G. DUE TO A GENERAL REVALUATION, MR WONG SAID.

HE ALSO REVEALED THAT THE COMMISSIONER OF RATING AND VALUATION UNDERTOOK TO CONSIDER, AFTER THE NEXT REVALUATION EXERCISE, WHETHER THE EXEMPTION FROM RATES IN RESPECT OF TENEMENTS WITH A RATEABLE VALUE NOT EXCEEDING $200 SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO

INCLUDE THOSE WITH A HIGHER RATEABLE VALUE.

BUT, HE ADDED, IT APPEARS THAT THE PROPOSED EXEMPT ION

CEILING OF $200 MAY BE RAISED.

AS TO THE QUESTION OF WHETHER SQUATTERS SHOULD PAY RATES, MR WONG FELT THAT THERE ARE DOUBTS AS TO WHETHER ILLEGAL BUILDINGS ON CROWN LAND ARE +TENEMENTS+ AS DEFINED IN THE RATING ORDINANCE.

THERE WOULD ALSO BE A NUMBER OF DIFFICULTIES IN TRYING TO ASSESS SQUATTERS AND RATES PAYABLE FOR MANY SMALL SQUATTER STRUCTURES MIGHT BE SUCH AS TO MAKE COLLECTION UNECONOMIC.

/IN ADDITION