City of Yarra puts ‘garden tax’ on hold after community outrage

A PLAN to slug households with a “garden tax” has been put on hold by Yarra Council after fierce opposition.

Angry gardeners slam­med the levy as a cash grab. Picture: Ian Currie

A YARRA council plan to hit green thumbs with a “garden tax” has outraged volunteers.

The council wants to slug gardeners, who initially signed up for a free planter box outside their homes, $55 a year.

The garden tax would net the wealthy council — which posted a $9 million surplus last year — less than $9000 from 161 households. It was placed on hold last November after fierce opposition.

Councillors were to take a fresh look at the tax last Tuesday night, with Deputy Mayor Misha Coleman among those proposing it be scrapped.

But Cr Coleman postponed the debate hours before the meeting in an email seen by the Herald Sun.

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Cr Coleman wrote she was seeking an “alternate way ­forward” to “resolve the current impasse”.

Angry gardeners have slam­med the levy as a cash grab, with 32 residents signing a petition against it.

Janet Nicholds, of Fitzroy North, accused the council of breaking the “good will” of the community.

She was one of 11 people in her street to receive a free wooden planter box under a council program in 2016.

The avid gardener spends much of her free time maintaining a small vegetable patch and flower bed for the benefit of the street.

“The gardens beautify the street and help build community — passers-by stop for a chat and often take ­vegies home with them,” Ms Nicholds said.

She said gardeners often dug into their own pockets to cover fittings, soil and materials for the planter boxes.

“There are pensioners for whom this fee would be a real barrier to gardening,” she said.

Socialist councillor Stephen Jolly said Yarra was “dripping with money” and should be encouraging community gardening, “not putting a price tag on it”.

“They’re not allowed to jack up rates so they get back at the public in different ways such as this garden tax,” he said.

Councillors will debate the tax on March 20.

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