Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Big rate rises to be eased

Updated at 11:03 am on 11 August 2012

Auckland Council is to ease the impact of big rises in rates for about 5000 property owners caught by the reform of the region's rating system.

Rises of higher than 20% in some cases do not qualify to be spread across several years.

The blending of seven previous rating regimes into one system has produced lower bills for some, but big increases for others.

Legislation that merged the area's previous councils prevented homeowners who had changed their properties before last year's revaluation, from qualifying to have increases capped at 10% in any one year.

The council can't extend the 10% cap, but says it's looking at other ways of easing the increase for about 5000 ratepayers.

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