Valuers And Rates

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 202, 24 May 1944, Page 6

Valuers And Rates

Sir, —Misleading statements have appeared in the Press recently in connexion with Mr. AV. Appleton’s address to the New Zealand institute of Valuers on April 4. It has been stated by the Labour candidate for the mayoralty, Air. James Roberts, that the New Zealand Institute of Valuers is the authority responsible for valuing our homes for rating purposes. This is not correct. The valuations for rating in AVellington are made by the Valuer-General and his staff. The question of rating systems was nor the main subject of Mr. Appleton’s address. It was briefly referred to as a side issue in answer to a question by one of our members. Mr. Appleton did not suggest that annual value ratiug was an ideal system for AVellington, but said that it would produce a greater raw revenue from the centre of the city, which contained the large buildings.

He then said that as any ch;inge in the rating system would have to be authby a poll of ratepayers there was no possible chance of reverting to annual value rating because the large suburban vote would rule it out. Mr. Appleton made no suggestion whatever that 20 nej cent, of the AVellington ratepayers would benefit by annual rating.—l am, etc., P. A. GRAHAM, secretary, N.Z. Institute of A’aluers. Lower Hutt, May 22.