Letter to the Editor
The Rates, The Millstone That Ruins Us All.
I know that many ratepayers of the Gympie Regions will find our current Councillors pleasant, kind and very sociable people. I too enjoy time spent with them in social discourse. I have known many of them for years. However, they are not popular with me when the rate bill arrives and I see it has risen 71% during the last four years.
When you pay a house mortgage most of your payment goes to pay the 7 % interest, but it decreases as you pay. If you pay for 30 years its finally yours. On the other hand your council rate bill increases drastically every year. You pay until you die and like sin it extends to your next generation, the property is never free of it. Council’s compounding rate increases ensures they own more of it every year, eventually when it out grows your capacity to pay, Council will get it all.

Investments of any type cannot keep up with compounding Rate Hikes.

Amalgamations were supposed to be more efficient and were subsidised by the State Government from our taxes but our managers have let us down, the budget for 2008 showed    Rates and utility revenue $ 33,715540. In 2012 they are extracting $56,796,050 from us. Since 2008 that is a 69% increase. Unbelievable but due to what our councillors call rate equalisation, increases in valuations, so a $500 rate bill, after four separate compounding percentage increases ends up at $845. In four more years at the same flat percentage increase it is a $1,428 rate bill. That is nearly a threefold increase in 8 years. Of course compounding by the annual average percentage increase of 17.25 % produces an even greater figure of $1,785 and that amount could be closer to reality if our current councillors are re-elected.
Ensure that the Council candidate you vote for has signed a commitment contract to at least vote for a freeze of all rates and levy charges. Reductions would be preferred. This will need a general reduction of all non-essential costs such as $ 309,000.00 for Gympie Cooloola Tourism. (Money taken from us and given by Councillors to support one single private industry.) Cash Grants to Fishing Clubs, Hockey Clubs, Campdraft Associations have to cease, unless the Councillors want to donate to them from their own wages. The ratepayers (and renters as rate increases equals rent increase) have to act now to ensure this happens as in four years time it could be too late. You could be priced out of your home. Work it out at that annual compounding rate of 17.5% added on to the preceding years. How many years do you have before your broke?  How many years before you have to move out? It is now time to stop this crime.
Ron Owen
24 Mc Mahon Rd
Gympie, 4570
07 54 825070