Reset the rates say Aucklanders

By BERNARD ORSMAN

Most Aucklanders believe the Auckland Regional Council should reset this year's rates.

A snap Herald-DigiPoll survey of 256 Aucklanders found 71.2 per cent support for resetting rates on a different basis, compared with just 16.6 per cent who want to stick with the current scheme.

There was also strong opposition to the ARC adopting a business-friendly, no differential rating policy. A total of 68.4 per cent disagreed with this decision, compared with 21 per cent who thought it was fair that businesses should be rated on the same basis as households.

David Thornton, of the Resident Ratepayers Rebellion group, said the survey was a condemnation of the ARC and contradicted claims by some regional councillors that most people were happy with the rating system because they were paying their bills.

"The poll shows the ARC policy of not using a differential is totally out of step with public opinion," Mr Thornton said. "In their arrogance they went against the advice of most submitters to the annual plan, including councils with vast experience in setting rates."

ARC chairwoman Gwen Bull did not return phone calls yesterday but one councillor opposed to the rating system, Mike Lee, said 71.2 per cent support for resetting the rates was an "extraordinary high figure".

The survey started on August 12 - the day before the council voted 7-4 at an extraordinary meeting not to reset the rates - and was completed last Sunday. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 6.1 per cent.

It follows a special rating committee meeting yesterday at which councillors agreed to set up a support team to help people having trouble paying their rates.

A motion from last week's meeting to review the penalty dates and paying by instalment was rejected.

Legal advice from law firms Bell Gully and Simpson Grierson said the ARC could not introduce instalments or delay penalties without resetting the rates.

Mr Lee criticised councillors for showing no flexibility on the rating system and hiding behind "made-to-order legal advice".

Michael Barnett, an ARC councillor and chief executive of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, said the survey showed that people wanted the cost loaded on to someone else, in this case businesses.

"The whole reaction to the rates is we want a better transport system but we don't want to pay for it."

Mr Barnett, who abstained from voting on the rating system because he made a submission on behalf of the chamber, said the organisation told the ARC that the ratepayers' hip pocket was not the best answer to finding the money.

The chamber was researching other ways of levying the transport rate, which had jumped 65 per cent this year in the case of the ARC. Prising money out of the Government, fuel taxes and taking out loans were options to be explored.

"Levying a transport rate on the value of someone's house just seems dumb," Mr Barnett said.

Transport Minister Paul Swain today will brief the Auckland Mayoral Forum on progress towards finding solutions to Auckland's transport woes, which could include a regional petrol tax, tolls or even making migrants invest in low-interest, set-term infrastructure bonds as a condition of entry to New Zealand.

The survey was more divided on the form of rating used, with 38.9 per cent supporting the capital value system adopted by the ARC and 46.3 per cent supporting a land value system used by six of the seven Auckland councils.

Aucklanders were also divided on paying more to subsidise rail and other public transport services, with 48 per cent in favour and 45.9 per cent opposed.

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