Paroo Shire News Release – Rural Rates
Paroo Shire News Release – Rural Rates
Rural ratepayers have raised the question as to why Paroo Shire Council when setting the rates for 2021/2022, chose to place a 10% cap on the previous year’s general rates. The following Information is provided in order to explain more fully the background behind Council’s decision.
On 31st March, 2021 the Queensland Valuer-General released land valuations for 25 local government areas, which resulted in significant valuation increases right across western Queensland. The valuations reflect land values at 1st October, 2020 and show that Paroo Shire has increased by 78.1 per cent overall since the last valuation in 2018.
Release of the valuations also showed that no rural property in the Paroo Shire had decreased in value and the range of increase in the value of rural assessments was from 35% to 335%. In modelling the new valuation data to arrive at a lesser rate in the dollar, it was found that whilst some ratepayers would pay less than the previous year, there were a large number of ratepayers who would pay more and up to 100% and over.
Such a large increase for those ratepayers was not regarded as fair and equitable, a guideline provided by the State Government on rating for Queensland local governments.
The timeframe of about two months from when the valuations were released in which to set up rates modelling templates and consider the various options available to the Council was utilized but there was insufficient time in which to set up new rates categories and look at further modelling of the data.
It was therefore decided that a 10% cap on general rates be introduced for the current financial year. This would ensure that although the range of increases in land valuations was up to 335%, no ratepayer would pay more than a 10% increase in general rates and it would allow the Council sufficient time in which to fully investigate alternative methodologies.
Work will now commence on developing alternate modelling and this will occur in consultation with industry leaders and representatives such as Agforce.
The Council is also mindful that the next land valuation may result in further increases to rural land within the Paroo Shire so we will endeavor to put in place a methodology that will cope more readily with fluctuations in the unimproved capital value of land on which Council rates are based.
Cr. Suzette Beresford psm
Mayor – Paroo Shire Council
