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MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER
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Incentives offered to settle rates arrearsKaipara District Council commissioners have agreed to provide an incentive for those with rate arrears to bring their accounts up to date.
Chair of commissioners, John Robertson, said now that the Kaipara District Council (Validation of Rates and Other Matters) Act 2013 has become law, there is no reason for ratepayers not to be paying their rates. “The Act removes any doubt that might have previously existed as to the validity of the rates or the requirement that they be paid,” he said. To encourage those with arrears to pay their outstanding balances, the commissioners have agreed to remit back to rate accounts the further penalty charged to rate accounts in March 2013 and July 2013. They have also agreed that the further penalty to be applied to accounts with previous years’ arrears at 31 December 2013 will be waived if the account is brought fully up to date by 30 June 2014. The penalties that are applied to normal instalment payments will continue to apply. The decision is consistent with the undertaking given to the Select Committee when the Local Bill was being considered. "As the Chair of commissioners, I gave my undertaking to the Select Committee through the Bill's sponsor that I would propose the remittance of these specific penalties to the Council. I am pleased that the Council has supported this proposal. What the Select Committee sought has been delivered in full,” Mr Robertson said. He confirmed the number of people withholding rates was steadily dropping. Out of around 13,000 ratepayers, less than 1,000 were still disputing their rates demands. He hoped that the waiving of the further penalties would encourage all of these ratepayers to pay their outstanding arrears. |
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