MELTON residents will fork out an extra $100 a year for their council rates to help fund Victoria’s firefighting services under one of the biggest shake-ups of state taxes in decades.
From July, the fire service levy will consist of a fixed component of $100 for residential properties and $200 for commercial, industrial, farming and vacant properties.
There will also be a variable charge, calculated as a percentage of the capital improved value of a property.
Martin Stevens, senior financial adviser at the Footscray Community Legal Centre, said the levy would make things even tougher for the many Melton ratepayers who were struggling to make ends meet.
He represents financially distressed residents from suburbs including Caroline Springs and Taylors Hills at court every week.
“Rates are extremely high when you cross over those railway tracks from Brimbank to Melton,” he said.
“People can’t afford them and they are constantly being sued.
“Rates are more than $1800 a year for most Melton residents and that’s an area with a low income, high rate of unemployment and a growing population.”
Mr Stevens called for reforms to council hardship programs across the west.
Melton residents began to receive their 2012-13 rate notices from this week. The council’s finance manager Shan Thurairajah said this was later than other years because of the date of the budget’s approval.
He said 645 summons demanding payment of rates were issued against ratepayers last year, of which 281 resulted in a judgment against them.
Melton has a hardship policy through which ratepayers can apply to enter a payment plan. A total of 142 ratepayers applied for financial hardship in both 2010-11 and 2011-12.
Rockbank resident Anne Nappi said she didn’t consider the fire levy an extra cost because most people already paid it as part of their house insurance.
She said of more concern was the lack of council services, particularly in rural areas.
“There are no services and we can’t walk to shops,” Ms Napi said.
“Some days I have to get a shovel to scrape the mud and dirt from under my car, from off the [unsealed] road.”
