Rates Deferral Policy Approved

Gore District ratepayers who are experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19 will have the opportunity to defer their rates payment for up to two instalments.

Gore District councillors today agreed to a short-term rates deferral policy designed to provide immediate relief to those ratepayers who are in financial difficulty due to the pandemic.

The policy allows all ratepayers to defer their next two rates payments – that is the fourth instalment for this financial year, which is due on 27 May, and the first instalment for the 2022-23 financial year due in late August.

The Council offered the same deferral policy during the first wave of COVID-19 in 2020. There were 15 applications received and approved. Of that number, nine applied to have only one instalment deferred.

Chief executive Stephen Parry said the policy aimed to provide a six-month hiatus to tide ratepayers over.

“Extraordinary economic retraction, the likes of which have probably not been seen since the 1930s and 1940s, demands we respond with alacrity and empathy to ratepayers who have been severely disadvantaged by Covid-19.”

He stressed the policy provides a rates deferral, not a remission in rates. People will have to commit to a repayment plan.

Gore District Mayor Tracy Hicks said staff would work with applicants to ensure their repayment plan reflects their financial position and is achievable.

The community should not underestimate the impact of omicron, he said.

“I am regularly hearing of businesses experiencing significant financial hardship.

“Omicron has seen more people working from home and kept people away from our CBD except for trips to the supermarket or pharmacist.”

Mr Hicks said ratepayers that can pay their next instalment should do so.

Rates remain a crucial source of income for all councils, helping ensure the essential services they provide – from drinking water to rubbish collection and roading maintenance - continue during the pandemic, he said.

The online form will be available on this website from Friday 18 March.