LAND VALUATION

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21410, 28 February 1935, Page 14

LAND VALUATION

QUESTION IN THE HOUSE "WORK PROCEEDING IN ORDER OF URGENCY" [From Our Parliamentary ReporterJ WELLINGTON, February 27. The work of land valuation is proceeding continuously and in order of urgency, and a considerably increased volume of work is being undertaken, according to a statement circulated in the House to-day by the Minister in charge of the Department «>I->e Hon. E. A. Ransom). Mr W. J. Polson (C., Stratford) had asked the Minister whether, failing a sufficient staff of valuers to tackle land revaluation generally and simultaneously on an accurate and uniform basis, the Government consider giving power to county councils to write down die valuations to a maximum of 25 per cent, on properties which not been revalued since April 1. 1931, thus doing away with the evils of private and piecemeal revaluation, enly open to those with the means to pay for it. The Minister said: (1) That the disturbance to rateable values due to piecemeal revaluations made on the application .if individual owners was the subject of legislation in 1933. Under the Valuation of Land Amendment Act, county councils, borough councils, town boards, and road boards were empowered to levy by resolution their ~ah-s on a proportionate part, being ,iot less than 75 per cent, of those valuations which had not been reduced on application by the owners, and where reductions had already been made by individual revaluation to levy rates on the said proportionate part of the original valuations, or on the reduced valuations, whichever was less. (2) The procedure did not involve the altering of individual roll entries. It was not considered desirable to alter the valuations appearing on the valuation rolls until such time as the properties could be inspected and valued. (3) The work of revaluation was proceeding continuously and in order of urgency, and a considerably increased volume of work was undertaken. Until the valuations in any district could be revised by an inspection of the properties, the present procedure should secure substantial redress from inequalities arising out of piecemeal valuations.