No to promotion rates

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 8, Issue 375, 26 February 1991, Page 3

No to promotion rates

Waimarino councillor Bill Peach believes promotion groups should collect their own funds rather than have the council rate the commercial sector for them.

He made his views known during a discussion on a special commercial rate for promotion activities, retail area beautification and services at the last council meeting. He said if a promotion group raises its own funds then it is more likely to be a strong, productive unit, but if a group is given money "on a plate" extra voluntary work drops away, activity drops to a lower level, enthusiasm falls away and "the whole thing falls apart." Other councillors felt there was scope for a

commercial rate, or a combination where a group raised half its funds and the council gathered half. Another problem with "rating the commercial sector for promotion was that some operators, especially tourist operators, would gain some benefit of the promotion but be hard to target for rating. Later in the meeting the council agreed to give the rest of the $35,000 previously earmarked for the Taumarunui & District Promotion and Development Association for their activities. Along with the approval the council decided that it would not fund the association to that level next year and advised TDPDA to look at ways to become self-sufficient.