The Auckland Regional Council has voted to stick with the same rating system that hit households with increases as high as 657 per cent last year.
Monday, March 29th 2004, 7:49AM
by The Landlord
Councillors, who face the polls in seven months, yesterday voted 7-5 to keep the status quo after promising a review in the face of a ratepayer revolt. The boundaries for the public transport rate will not change either.
The ARC has now twice rejected the idea of introducing a business differential leading to lower rates for households.
Charging businesses 1 1/2 times the residential rate would have saved nearly 300,000 households between $5 and more than $500.
Instead, the council is planning to raise rates by 3.2 per cent. The public will have the opportunity to make submissions on the rates increase, including options for a business differential, from April 5 to May 3. Last year, councillors ignored most submissions and introduced the system, with strong backing from business.
