Get in now for rates rebate

Senior revenue administrator Kathy Voelkerling says there are a lot of people who qualify for the rebate, but do not claim it. Photo / Tania Whyte

Northland homeowners struggling to pay rates may be entitled for a rates rebate from the Government, but need to get in quick before the cut-off ends on June 30.

With an average rebate of $536 per household, it seems worth a trip to your local council to see if you are eligible.

Whangarei District Council senior revenue administrator Kathy Voelkerling says there are a lot of people who qualify for the rebate, but do not claim it.

"There is a lot more people who do qualify than we see, we are not getting anywhere near the amount of people who should be coming in."

Ms Voelkerling would like people to talk to their friends and family about the rebate scheme to encourage people to find out more about it, especially as last year's rebates need to be claimed before the end of June.

The WDC has received 3239 applications for the last year who received $538 on average, with a total amount of $1.633 million.

Far North District Council revenue & collections manager Cheryl Gavin-Young says numbers of applications have risen steadily over the past few years with 2327 people claiming a rebate last year, with an average value of $567.96.

This coincides with an initiative to employ a dedicated rates rebates officer who works with Work and Income, budget services, Grey Power, Age Concern, Runanga and marae to generate more awareness of the scheme and assist those who wish to apply.

Kaipara District Council's rebate numbers are also heading up.

In the last financial year, with already 882 approved applications, ratepayers received a total of $505,250, an average of $572 each.

This year, the Government has raised the amount payable to a maximum of $610 and the threshold for getting it to $24,440.

An office at the WDC will be opening on July 13 to assist people in applying for their 2015-16 rebates, and will be open for around six weeks.

The WDC sees more than 3000 people at the office each year, which has been operating for the past five years.

"We also see more in home visits to aid those who cannot come into town," says Ms Voelkerling.

"It is a big help to low-income earners in Whangarei and surrounding districts."

Kaipara District Council revenue manager Alison Puchaux said: "We take every opportunity to inform people about rates rebates and our customer services team are trained to assist those applying to ensure they have completed the application correctly."

•For more information, email info@ratesrebates.govt.nz or (04) 460 2288