REBATES OF RATES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 839, 6 December 1929, Page 10

REBATES OF RATES

EMPTY SHOPS AND OFFICES

PLEA FOR CONSIDERATION Relying on the expressed opinion of Mr. Justice Blair, that owner* of lock-up shops were not entitles to a rebate in rates under the Rating Act. the City Solicitor . d . vised the City Council last even, ing not to allow any concession in rates on shops, offices, or any other class of business or commercial building. The council was advised to adopt this course until his Honour's view was successfully challenged. y STRONG plea against accepting of this course succeeded in hat ing the matter referred back to th* committee. Commenting that it had been costomarv to grant a rebate of half q, year’s rates ou properties vacant f O . six months of the rating year, Cr G W. Hutchison appealed for consider* tion of the proposal. He said tha* if the judge's opinion was adoptefi owners of empty shops and office, would be refused all concessions, hconsidered tljat such action would K volve hardship, and was not »- a -. ranted. The City Solicitor had pointed out that the course of action sue gested was based only on a passinopinion expressed by the judge, that it was not his Honour's eonsij. ered finding. Cr. Hutchison obsen-ei that the council must realise that the city was overbuilt, and properties were only partially let. and the ce E . cessions were therefore vicuiy necessary. It would be wrong to deprive the ratepayers of the rebates, he declared.

“Surely the City Solicitor is not entitled to dictate the policy of the council; his duty Is to define the legal position,” continued Cr. Hutchison The City Solicitor had advised the council to act on the judge’s opinion, but the speaker was averse to this course.

Cr. G. G. Ashley said that rightlv or wrongly, the council was losing » lot of money in rebates of rates each year, and the finance committee constantly meeting demands for concessions. He suggested that the council should take advantage of the opinion to have a test case. The clause was referred back to the committee for reconsideration.