Letters: Debt has to be repaid some time

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Rather disingenuous remarks by councillor Dave Donaldson re debt (Letters, November 15).

Rotorua is not much larger in population than other small cities elsewhere in New Zealand. The fact the debt, much larger than most others is now approaching $170 million is very concerning to everyone not just ratepayers.

To trivialise interest payments of some $9m per annum shows to me a laissez-faire attitude to fiscal responsibility. Debt has to be repaid at some point. Finance borrowing is a privilege, not a right as some may think.

BOB WADSWORTH
Rotorua

Ratepayers' debt
Re letter by Paul Carpenter (November 4).

He describes our council's debt as ratepayers' debt. So, thinking about the $2000 per man, woman and child, how does Paul Carpenter arrive at this figure?

For example, there is no one living at our ratepaying airport, so which man, woman or child is going to have to stump up the money? Or does the airport get away scot-free? If I was still occupying my old business premises, would I as an individual have to pay for that as well as the rates on my home? Perhaps Paul can give me the answer.

Be that as it may, he and a few others do appear to be very concerned at the level of debt owed by our council. I can find no reference as to what other cities and towns owe per man, woman and child, and question just how Paul Carpenter arrives at this figure.

As to the level itself, there is information supporting the amount per ratepayer; the national average is $6989, Rotorua is $7560 which I suggest is not too far away from everybody else. Auckland sits at $22,189.

Perhaps Paul Carpenter could tell us just what every Aucklander will need to pay, or is he simply scaremongering?

[ABRIDGED]
JOHN PAKES
Ngongotaha