Knox, Yarra Ranges ratepayers to receive rates refund after admin error
Councils in Melbourne’s outer east have been forced to refund ratepayers after an administration blunder.
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Knox and Yarra Ranges ratepayers are in line to get some cash back on their rates bill, after an administration error.
Victorian councils are required to limit the annual average rate increase to no more than the annual rate cap that is set by State Government.
YARRA VALLEY RESIDENTS OVERCHARGED ON RATE NOTICES
HUNDREDS OF HOMEOWNERS CHALLENGE RATES
The rate cap system is administered and monitored by the Essential Services Commission (ESC) and councils are required to report to the ESC each year to confirm compliance
with the cap.
Knox Mayor Jake Keogh said in the process of reporting annual compliance data to the ESC, a small error in the annual rates calculation was identified, resulting in an average rate increase that was marginally higher than the annual cap.
Cr Keogh said the result was a 0.06 per cent error in the rate cap, leading to an average rate increase of 2.31 per cent rather than the 2.25 per cent cap.
He said the total amount raised by this extra 0.06 per cent was $57,407, an average of 86 cents per rateable property.
He said Knox was one of 11 municipalities found to have inadvertently exceeded the annual rate cap and had taken immediate action to rectify the error and ensure compliance with the cap.
He said council was processing adjustments, with ratepayers to be credited based on the capital improved value of their property. This will apply to all rateable properties in Knox.
Yarra Ranges Council confirmed on its website its ratepayers would receive a letter in the mail this month, advising of the “minor” error that occurred in the calculation of the 2018-19 rates, that generated higher than expected rates income.
The letter will include details about the adjusted rates.
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