New tax a minefield
FROM July next year, the NSW Liberal and National government want every local council to collect a new land tax for them – the Emergency Services Property Levy.
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The new state government tax will be included on all council rate notices.
But Premier Baird won’t put the legislation to parliament until the very last minute to avoid a community campaign against this new tax.
Parliament doesn’t even sit again until next February.
The devil will be in the detail, and it is all being kept secret behind closed doors in Macquarie Street.
There could be different tax rates for commercial, residential and rural properties.
Some groups are worried that the tax could shift costs from metropolitan or commercial classifications onto residential and rural landowners.
The government has refused to say if it will compensate councils for the cost of collecting the new tax, or if local ratepayers will also be hit with this extra cost.
The community and local councils have a right to know. After all, residents will have to find the money to pay it.
Peter Primrose
NSW shadow minister for local government
Praise for administrator
I would like to provide a sincere compliment to the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council administrator, Christine Ferguson, for the comprehensive response to my wife’s complaint about the council’s neglect of the maintenance of the Stockinbingal village.
Recently, my wife, Patricia Richardson, wrote a letter to the administrator complaining about the state of the village.
It was more of a release of angst than a thought that anyone would respond to her concerns.
Within two weeks, Patricia received a call from Mrs Ferguson wanting to know if Patricia was available to show her the conditions that she had complained about.
A meeting was agreed to and Patricia enlisted the help of our neighbour, Rosalie Dale, to assist in the tour.
Mrs Ferguson came to Stock and was shown the two-metre high weeds throughout the village and the polluted drains that were clogged up.
Mrs Ferguson was presented with a presentation folio outlining the village problems compiled by Rosalie Dale.
Mrs Ferguson was very direct about what could be done; Yes, No, Maybe.
After Mrs Ferguson left, we had a bit of hope that something would be done, but, we had been there before with no results.
Within a week,two parks had been mowed, the nature strips in the village had been mowed and work to restore the cemetery had begun.
From all of the residents of Stockinbingal, I would like to express our sincerest thank you to Mrs Ferguson.
Glen Richardson
Stockinbingal
Grain growers concerned
NSW Farmers has called on the grains industry to work in good faith with growers as they fulfil grain contracts during this bumper harvest.
Farmers are seeing an increase in the cost of delivering grain through higher rates and demurrage created by the substantial delays trucks are facing at the local silo or other receival sites.
With farmers scrambling to coordinate trucks to deliver against November contracts it is possible these delays will create further losses if these deadlines cannot be made.
We are encouraging grain buyers to work co-operatively with growers to assist them to meet their contractual requirements.
Despite low grain prices, NSW is enjoying a bumper harvest with GrainCorp alone reporting that it has received almost three million tonnes in NSW.
