This is a mobile optimized page that loads fast, if you want to load the real page, click this text.

Council rates jump over 100% without a fuss

Jump to new

tech/a

No Ordinary Duck
Joined
14 October 2004
Posts
20,447
Reactions
6,478
Council Rates are linked to Valuation of housing.

Housing and valuations have more than doubled in recient years.
Councils have had a windfall of over 100%.
How'd you like a 100-150% wage rise!!

Yet what do we get in return?
Not only that our council is talking about RAISING rates again!!!

I've never seen this raised.
What are your thoughts---or like most has it slipped under the radar.
 
Re: Council Rates Jump over 100% without a fuss.

yet another reason my money is in shares and not property
 

Spot on. I pay $60 a week to live in my own home. That does not include water and we do not have sewerage. We recently had a forced council amalgamation which was supposed to have huge savings but our rates are still going up again this year. It is just another tax. Our rates have increased 300% in 6 years.
 
Oh, yeah. I think most householders know the feeling well. When we bought our home in 1996 the rates were based on $62K unimproved value and now the UPV is $191k (mind you it did stagnate at $182k for three years). My father also knows the heat. His little piece of dirt was $44k UPV for many years. In the last two it has increased to $126k.

Tax by not so subtle stealth as the rate per $ has also increased.
 
Over the years councils have had more and more responsibilities placed on them by the State Govt. and as such, the amount of public infrastructure and services they are now required to maintain/provide has increased quite a bit.

For this reason i dont get too upset when councils raise their rates as unlike the state govt, you'd like to hope that the money received from rates is actually injected back into your local community (inefficiencies to be expected here of course).
 
My rates increase by less than 10% p.a. which, given the amount of increased infrastructure the council is providing, is very reasonable.

It's the little things which annoy me. Up to now we have been able to take green waste (branches etc) to the tip where it is turned into mulch and sold at market rates. They are now introducing a $3.50 fee for accepting the green waste, even if you have just a couple of branches in the boot of a car.
If you go every weekend which many people do, that's about $200 p.a. with petrol. There's no kerbside collection even once a year which used to happen twice a year.

Overall, I'm much more concerned about the State Government and the local council continuing to encourage increased population into SE Qld where the infrastructure is already stretched far too tightly. I'd happily pay more for water if there was plenty of it and the pressure hadn't been reduced to something resembling an old man with a prostate problem.
 
Hard rubbish waste here is $85/tonne.
We often have clients who need 20 tonne dumped and many still live in the times when dumping was free!
Soil is also $8/tonne.
Plus of course loading and cartage for both examples.
Same client has 400 tonne of soil to move.
Thats around $28/tonne to excavate load and dump.

And thats before we actually start to build the project he employed us for.

So julia $3.50-- just pay it!
 

Yes, of course I'll pay it. But the situation you describe is quite different from householders with a few branches on which the council then makes a profit.
 
Julia said:
Yes, of course I'll pay it. But the situation you describe is quite different from householders with a few branches on which the council then makes a profit.
Click to expand...

Julia,
buy yourself a new mower,one that has that mulching thing on top,it not only mulches the grass as it cuts it,but you can mulch the type of small branches that you described above,the mower will last you for years and you can mulch you own green waste.

Our mowers is a Masport genius one in four.Very reliablemyou can mulch branches up to a broomstick thickness,
 
Julia said:
Yes, of course I'll pay it. But the situation you describe is quite different from householders with a few branches on which the council then makes a profit.
Click to expand...

I somewhat agree. The tip here takes soil free of charge and welcomes it as they do make money on it later. Rubbish is free if you seperate the recyclable parts out and other waste is charged at $60 a tonne.
 

No need to squeal like a pig...considering your property portfolio has doubled or tripled in value.

This is the true and real cost of housing...more than 25% of total monies deposited into housing comes in the form of taxes and charges.

...and here I was thinking you were the god of the housing market...stop whinging and dump all your money into super...where no more than 15% tax rates apply, and returns are running as high as 76%.

God people get over this bricks and mortar mentality...there are far better investments out there!
 
julia
Im sympathising.
A trailer load here is $60.

Kris
I'm not bitchin.
Point I'm making is that council double their income with nothing said.
Joe average wants a 7% wage rise and all hell breaks loose.
If I doubled my prices I'd not have clients.

Council immediately doubles its income.
Thats the point.

Oh and Cut the condasending Rubbish your starting to sound like a Cat and a Bear I know!

more than 25% of total monies deposited into housing comes in the form of taxes and charges.
Click to expand...

Really?
Well I cant see where $800k in taxing and fees are in my current property portfolio.
Please feel free to enlighten me.
 
I dont see why we should pay them to dump rubbish, then they go through it, and then onsell it to make more money, especially when they put the rates up evey year.
 
Councils should not have to increase their rates each year - the increase in valuations does it for them without raising their % extractions.

I visited my local council library recently - they were providing prizes of a Harry Potter book for kids! And afternoon tea for people - Why on earth would a council think that is an appropriate way to spend their (our) money? Councils involve themselves in things that are in no way aligned to their core business, and then want me to pay more for the privilege.

And STC, unless you are homeless, whether you rent or own the increase in COuncil rates is reflected in your ownership costs or rental rates. Cant avoid it!
 
Nice post. Local councils can easily fly under the radar when it comes to fees because of a lack of media exposure. A story for ACA ot TT?
 

I think you are bitchin' considering the thread was started by yourself. I am suprised for a smart person like yourself you are not minimising your fees and taxes...why are you so hell bent on bricks and mortar and are so heavy in the property market at a time when the tax rules are now favouring super more than ever before. Like you keep saying to me...change the way you view things and create a different life for yourself...beat the system, don't be the system!

Pot calling the kettle black!
 
OK OK
Prospector has prompted me to get on my council soap box!

Without doubt the most wasteful,ineffective,inefficient,bureaucratic,bungling,self opinionated,uncooperative,senceless,impractical,organisations on this planet.
Joe Bjelke Petterson had the idea---get rid of them they are not required.

Housing approvals take minimum 3 mths---why
Some under educated city planner has to go and evaluate the impact on neighbours of the new developement.This takes 2 mths 3 weeks and Building approval 1 week.
Its been a problem in the 30 yrs Ive been in the building industry and has never been addressed.

The problem is that works like ours take a few weeks to build and 3 mths to approve.
So often we cant start because council hasnt approved---often 10 or more projects.
So what do I do sack my staff because council cant approve fast enough??
I cant go on with booked work!
I'm not alone.
Fencing,Carport,Pergola,Pool,and Garage contractors all have the same problem.

My solution.
Build it anyway!!
Let their bureaucratic bungling catch up with me and keep my people employed and Clients happy.

One council Took me to court 4 yrs ago for breaching the building code and building without approval.
I lost---cost me $300.
The Judge then instructed Council to handle all my approvals within 2 weeks,as that was what he called a reasonable time.

Havent had a problem with a council since---they talk to each other!

With double their income try hiring good people and more of them.

Anyway had my soapbox moment!

Kris
Just saw your post.

You really are bitter and twisted.
I have freehold property in my SMSF.
I pay my own SMSF my own Business rent which I then trade.
Matey you have no idea where I'm at.
It would make your narrow mind freak out!
I'm no different to you.
Level 11 educated and simply a builder,who enjoys all the fruits
of his labour.Hawaii was nice thanks for asking!
Go boil your own kettle.

Balance you need to be able to leverage---Super on its own wont do it
as there WILL be long periods when it underperforms and you cant do a thing about it.

Business
Property
Trading
Super
 

Here is a tip...sell all your properties and go live in a tent then...there easy fixed...that solves the problem

Look outside the square...find another way...be smarter than the rest:
 
Stop_the_clock said:
Here is a tip...sell all your properties and go live in a tent then...there easy fixed...that solves the problem

Look outside the square...find another way...be smarter than the rest:
Click to expand...

Kris, stop trying to provoke people. It's getting irritating.
 
Stop_the_clock said:
Here is a tip...sell all your properties and go live in a tent then...there easy fixed...that solves the problem

Look outside the square...find another way...be smarter than the rest:
Click to expand...
No. Buy some old van. Live in it. Dribve around. You can sneak into caravan parks for a **** shower and shave. Also raid the camp kitchen for food.

Collect dole. Travel the world. It is great. Very easy. Become a scum bag. Sift through garbage tins. Any money comez your way put in super. Lets make Australia a dumping ground for scum bags because that is what this country is aboout. We are australian we are scum
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

State tax reform
Replies
0
Views
4K
sydboy007
R
The Financial Endgame
Replies
18
Views
9K
qldfrog
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more...