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When council rate relief is bad

In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, some local councils have introduced across-the-board rate freezes.

A rate freeze is a bad idea for these reasons:

Council rates are a “wealth tax”, not an income tax. Rates are calculated using property values. To quote a council CFO, six out of seven ratepayers are not negatively affected by COVID. A general rate freeze gives a benefit to the maximum number of voters, but most of the relief dollars go to the wealthiest landowners.

Under a general % rates cut or waiver, wealthiest landowners get the most $ relief
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