They’re planning to spend YOUR dollars

Ratepayers should be ready to object to new rating valuations.



The Auckland Council has announced its intention to issue  new rating valuations to Auckland property owners on 27th October.

Any council revaluation generally results in some ratepayers paying more, and some less, than the previous year’s rates levy. For residential ratepayers these changes do not recognise any changes in the incomes or personal financial circumstances of individual households.

Valuations are the core reason why the rating system is totally unfair as it takes no account of ‘ability to pay’.

Homes are calculated by a ‘mass appraisal technique’ – in other words a desk-top process of assessing the likely sales value of  broadly similar type homes, based on information on property sales in local neighbourhoods.

The system leads to many unfair valuations and consequent unfair rates increases.

These new Auckland valuations will set the levels for charging rates for the next three years.

Ratepayers should be prepared to challenge their new valuation if they believe they are being overvalued.

Many ratepayers are afraid to challenge their valuation which they believe will impact on what price they might get if and when they sell.

This fear is generally fuelled by real estate salespeople who usually quote, a “CV” or “GV” figure to give price indications.

This practise should be outlawed in favour of more accurate indications based on actual recent sales.

This Auckland revaluation will also be heavily influenced by the change from Land value to Capital value for many properties in the old city council areas..

I urge all ratepayers to take the opportunity to challenge their new valuations by asking the Council to produce the local information on which their valuation has been set.
 

Comments  

 
0 #2 Roy Spillman 2012-05-19 19:22
so very true...eventually they will rate us off the land...the reality of it all is that..they must reduce the ever increasing rates and turn it in the opposite direction..instead of using the rates as a tax gathering plan..they must reduce spending in areas that benefit the beneficaries and be concerned obout the tax payer...they forget that they are employed by us !!to serve us..and continue to rob us using the law.their aim must be to reduce the rates every year to a sustainable level..hallo.. the country is broke !!we are in a recession !!half of nz has already left !!we dont need more good people to leave nz.the parasites need to be brought to heal!!
 
 
0 #1 Des Mahoney 2012-03-15 21:36
In 2010 I challenged my rating valuation, I filed the documents with Quotable Valuations and have never heard from them, I own a number of sections they valued my house section which is fully landscaped at 71,000 then valed 2 of my other sections which only grow grass for my stock at 89,000 and 78, 000 respectively, these valuations all take placew in air condioned offices and by people who dont have any clue regarding the district or area they are valuing and they should stop smoking the dope and stop putting values on property that only benefit councils rewvenue gathering
Des Mahoney
 

TWO Objectives

  • To replace the present system of council rates with a new, fairer system, which reflects both services provided and the ‘ability to pay’ of various sectors in the community.
  • To develop a system of restraining council expenditure to levels which the community approves of, and which the community believes it can afford.

David Thornton

Founder/organiser of NoMoreRates  is a
former North Shore City councillor, 
Community Board member, and former
member of the Auckland Regional Land
Transport Committee. David is a
frequent commentator on local
government affairs in both the
print and electronic media.