Rates payments welcome says new ARC Chairman Michael Lee

New ARC Chairman Michael Lee has welcomed the recent upturn in rates payments, resulting in nearly 99% of ratepayers paying last year's rates.

"It would appear that ratepayers who withheld paying now have confidence in this new council and are paying their bill."

"The 'rates rebellion', having made its point, appears to have run its course," Mr Lee says.

There are still a small number of people who have outstanding rates - approximately 7,500 owing more than $25.

"In fairness to the 98.6% of ratepayers across the Auckland region who have paid their rates, I want to encourage the few people who still have an outstanding debt to make arrangements to begin payments."

"The ARC can assist them in this and we have relief measures for people suffering genuine hardship."

"This new council does not want to further penalise those who have not, for whatever reason, paid their regional rates."

"This council's members heard very clearly the concerns on rates rises voiced two years ago. You can rest assured that those concerns have been taken on board by the new council," Mr Lee says.

"This council will work hard to keep rates down and any increase to within the rate of inflation."

Ratepayers can contact the Rates Information Line on (09) 366 2000.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>