Rates rebate - are you eligible?
Monday, 4 September 2006
The City Council has estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 ratepayers could qualify for some remission of rates and, so far, just over 1,100 applications have been processed with the majority of ratepayers receiving the maximum rebate of $500.
Following the government announcement that, from July 1, 2006, it was raising the thresholds to allow more people to qualify, the Council established a dedicated team to handle inquiries. For the last month the team has been meeting ratepayers and processing applications and is encouraging ratepayers to take advantage of the service as quickly as they can.
Until this week some ratepayers were unable to have their rebate calculation completed because Horizons Regional Council had not finalised its rates for 2006/2007. This information is now available, so if you think you may qualify for a rebate, you should contact the Council’s Customer Service Centre (Ph. 356-8199) while this dedicated team is still assigned to handle inquiries.
The government’s new thresholds mean:
- The maximum rebate has increased to $500
- The income threshold has increased to $20,000 (this figure will vary depending on the level of rates)
- The additional income allowance for dependents has increased to $500 per dependent.
