Council welcomes rate rise decision

21st Jun 2023

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has approved Armidale Regional Council’s (ARC) application for a 58.8 percent special variation to general income residential, farmland, business or mining land rates over three years.
Armidale is one of 17 NSW councils to be approved in full or partly approved a special variation, with Walcha (57.74%) and Liverpool Plains (18.1%) also being approved. Tenterfield Shire Council’s application for a 104% was only partially approved.
ARC Mayor Sam Coupland said the number of approvals is indicative of the difficult financial position of many councils across the state.
“This announcement marks a significant turning point for our region and will now allow council to address the systemic revenue problems that have plagued this council and the many iterations of it for decades in the past,” said mayor Coupland
“It is completely understandable that the community will have concerns about the increases to their rates particularly while there are ongoing cost of living pressures, we are all feeling it. But it would have been remiss of this council not to address the long term decline in services for the Armidale region.”
The special variation will be implemented from the 2023/24 Financial Year in the first rates instalment that will be distributed in July 2023. It will be staged over three years with 16.67 percent in 2023/24; 16.67 percent in 2024/25 and 16.66 percent in 2025/26.
“I want to remind ratepayers that the increase will only be applied to general income residential, farmland, business or mining land rates, the top two lines identified on your instalment, not the total amount you pay,” said Mayor Coupland
“The land rates are clearly identified on your instalment and it will also be phased over three years to ease the financial impact. Some ratepayers may also experience a change to their rates due to the impact of the ongoing rates harmonisation that commenced last year.”

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Council welcomes rate rise decision

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