VALUATION ACT

Hokitika Guardian, 17 November 1932, Page 6

VALUATION ACT

ALLEGED ABUSE

CONSIDERATION BY MINISTER.

(Per Press Association — Copyright.)

WELLINGTON, November 15

Consideration is now being given by the Minister for Lands (the Hon. E. A\ Ransom) to the abuse of the provisions of the Valuation of Land Act, under which property-owners have the right to offer their properties to the Grown at the valuation, and to secure 'a reduction. in the valuation if the Crown decilitres to buy. The Minister said in the Hous© to-day that be was considering the preparation of a Bill to deal with the position, but he was loath (to remove the protection which tine Act gave to property-owners. Replying to the discussion on the annual report of the Valuation Department, Mr Ransom raid it would bje realised that the Government was not in a position at the moment to take over properties upon which owners had placed their own values and had then demanded that the State valuation should b e reduced accordingly, or that the properties should be bought by tire Crown. Nor was the Government anxious to take up any more land , for which \t had no use. at the moment. He thought 1 that some ratepayers were taking an undue advantage of the protection afforded l them. There was ia general de-sir© for revaluation, .he said, particularly in localities where individual valuations were out of line with general valuations. While it was desirable that the requests of local bodies in, this respect should be granted as soon as possible, the Government did not wish at the present time to appoint a. large number of additional valuers and incur additional expense. Mr A. J. Stoll worthy (C., Eden) said he trusted the Minister did not contemplate tba total abrogation of the rights of unfortunate property holders who were obliged to pay heavy rates on holdings which were actually of no value to them. It might be sufficient if provision were made for the property to fie put lip for auction .at the owner’s valuation.

Mr W. U. Field (€., Otaki) ex- : pressed dissiatidfaction with the pre-i sent (position. Properties were grossly; over-valued, and farmers could not afford to meet the charges being j levied upon them under an old stand-! ■ai'd of valuation which should' not apply during the present very difficult time?. In some instances pro-; perties were bearing valuations three times greater than their trust values., Mr W. A. Veitch (C., Wanganui) ; said the question required .a very careful stirvey before any action was taken. Values had been strained ouit of line on acount of the unsettled financial (Conditions, but 'as the circumstances: causing the present situation .were probably only temporary, nothing should be done hastily. • When conditions returned to normal it would then' lie time to investigate the valuation laws and the question of land valuation generally with the object of finding a more equitable method of collecting taxation. There was a good deal of argument whether the system of rating on capital values wa« better than rating on unimproved values, hut experience had taught him that changing from one system to another produced worse effects than either system produced if it was adhered to over *a period. All values would ad-; jmt themselves to any system provided it was in operation continuously.