Rates keeping residents on their toes

Property owners are sharing bill shock horror stories following a 7News special report into council rate rises earlier this week.

In one area, locals are copping a 36 per cent hike over three years, while family businesses say they are also hurting.

Michiala Kuys and her husband run a small business from home, but she said their rates just do not add up.

It’s just making too big a cost for a business to run like this,” she said.

“It is up $600 which works out to roughly about 17 per cent.”

Their capital value has soared by $85,000 and even though the business runs out of the family home, the property is classified as industrial.

Charles Sturt Council mayor Kirsten Alexander said: “They may have a case to go back to the Valuer-General and say ‘actually, a large proportion of this property is residential’.”

This week, 7News revealed many residential ratepayers will be feeling the pinch of rate rises.

Port Pirie locals are copping 8 per cent, while several other councils are opting for between six and seven per cent.

But spare a thought for residents in the Northern Areas Council – between Clare and Peterborough – where they have been hit with 12 per cent for the second consecutive year, and will be hit with the same again next year.

The council said it has been upfront – it needs cash for major infrastructure.

“A number of councils over the past decade of so have started to realize that they’re not properly funding their infrastructure,” Chris Russell from the Local Government Association said.

“They realise they need to charge higher rates.”

For more information on rate concessions and rebates, visit the Local Government Association website.