Hamilton City Council has been ‘rating people into poverty’ and it must stop according to a Mayoral candidate.

Future rates increases will be aligned to the Consumer Price Index if Angela O’Leary is elected Mayor this October.

Fourth term Councillor and Mayoral candidate Angela O’Leary says Hamiltonians need greater certainty over the level of rates increases the council is prepared to impose.

She said rates increases at the level of this year’s increase, dip too far into the pockets of people with limited financial resources.

“The people who can least afford it are the ones who are hit the hardest. This includes people on fixed incomes, young families and owner-operated businesses. This is especially true for superannuitants for whom the highest proportion of household expenses are rates,” she says.

“That’s why I will change the way we set the rates. I want to make sure people have some certainty through an affordable rating policy.”

According to the New Zealand Taxpayers Union, rates are rising across New Zealand at almost five times the rate of inflation, Ms O’Leary said.

Between 2014 and 2017, rates charged by local authorities rose by an average of 12.8 percent while inflation was 2.6 percent.

Ms O’Leary said the 9.7 percent increase in Hamilton City rates this year places too big a burden on many homeowners and businesses.

“I vigorously opposed it and voted against it at the time” she said.

Ms O’Leary says that all councils are required by law to keep their rates increases to an affordable level, but not one of them has ever defined what ‘affordable’ means.

“I believe council has a duty to all ratepayers, whether private or business ratepayers, to give them some certainty about what level of rates increases they can expect,” she said.

“Council needs to live within its means” she said.

“Paying your rates is not a discretionary expense – it is a tax. And when we put rates up by amounts way in excess of the rate of inflation, it is a tax too far.”

“As Mayor I will make Hamilton an affordable city and adopt and develop innovative ways to fund the big, nice-to-do projects that keep the city moving forward.”

Ms O’Leary says that while Council will always be responsible for infrastructure development and maintenance, developments in the city should be based on partnerships where everybody can benefit.

She said she has some exciting ideas about how these partnerships can be formed. She will release more detail as part of her policy programme leading up to the election.

“For instance, I can foresee ways that Council can deliver major projects that will benefit the city, without the need for hyper-inflated rates.”

“I will release further policies in the near future – so watch this space” she said.

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