Council has UAGC problems

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 8, Issue 372, 5 February 1991, Page 1

Council has UAGC problems

The following is an explanation of uniform annual charges and some of the difficulties in setting them, submitted by the General Manager of the Ruapehu District Council, Cliff Houston. "Procedural difficul-

ties have been experienced in the definition of Uniform Annual General Charges on the 2nd rates instalment for the year, which has just been issued. "This instalment was the first in which those

charges had been defined by the Ruapehu District Council, as the previous instalments, including the 1990 transition quarter, had been based on the previous years' rates levied by the unitTurnpage 2

Council has problem with UAG charges

From page 1 ing authorities. "Considerable difficulties have been experienced by the revenue staff, in trying within the time available, to establish where such charges should either be levied or deleted. As a consequence the rates instalment notices have been issued with Uniform Annual General Charges included where there is doubt as to their status. "It will therefore be necessary to remit a number of these charges where it is established that the rate payer should not have incurred them in circumstances where their separately rated properties are contiguous with one another.

"Where this situation applies it would be most helpful for ratepayers to contact the Council's Revenue Section to establish the position, have their rates assessment amended and their 2nd rates instalment appropriately reduced. "Council also has a policy that where a ratepayer is the occupier of more than one separately rateable rural farm property and those properties are used jointly as a single farm property and such properties for which a cancellation of the charge is sought do not carry sufficient improvements to allow them to be operated as separate farming units then the charges on them can be remitted on application.

This is a more formal process than that outlined for contiguous properties and applications require considera-

tion by a Council Subcommittee. Application forms are available at all Council offices." Mr Houston apolo-

gised for any inconvenience caused to individual ratepayers by the initial application of the charge.