ARC Asked To Clarify 'Pay Within 14 Days' Rate Demands.

I have today asked the ARC to clarify the 'Reminder' to 'Pay within 14 days' which appears in the 'penalty letters' which have been sent to ratepayers who have not paid their full rates on the due dates.

Many ratepayers who have contacted me are complaining that they consider this to be a 'demand' and are asking if the ARC has the power to do this.

My advice to them is that the ARC has no such power and that they, the ratepayers, can choose to ignore this perceived demand.

Text of my request to ARC chair Gwen Bull is as follows;-

Good morning Gwen I have had many calls regarding the 'penalty letters' recently sent out to rates region 1. The letters advise of the claimed imposition of a 10% penalty on unpaid rates, and include the statement "REMINDER - PLEASE PAY WITHIN 14 DAYS" Many people are taking this as a demand for payment within 14 days. You know, as well as I, that the ARC has no power to make anyone pay anything within 14 days. People are construing this latest ARC rate gathering exercise as yet another 'bully-boy' tactic. It may be useful if you were to issue a statement clarifying what is meant by the "Pay within 14 days" 'reminder' I previously raised this with your CEO but have had no response.

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