THE Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) is frustrated by the delayed timeline and the lack of a rates freeze following the recent announcement of a review of Victoria\u2019s rating system by the Andrews Government.<\/p>\n
\u201cRural and regional rate payers have been waiting since 6 November for action on a rates review following a pre-election promise made by Premier Andrews,\u201d VFF President David Jochinke said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has taken five months for this promise to be actioned and now we discover that rural and regional rate payers will need to wait another year for the report to be delivered.<\/p>\n
\u201cPremier Andrews and Minister Somyurek claim they are seeking improvements for a \u2018fair and equitable\u2019 outcome but farmers across the State are really starting to question this rhetoric.<\/p>\n
\u201cFarmers have experienced rate increases of over 50 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Jochinke said that while farmers wanted to contribute to their local communities, they should not be underpinning the council\u2019s operations, particularly when many of them do not receive council services provided to townsfolk.<\/p>\n
\u201cFarmers across the State are trying to make ends meet after a number of very challenging seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany farmers simply cannot afford to pay their exorbitant rates bills so in the interests of fairness and equity Minister Somyurek must put a freeze on rate increases until the review is finalised.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to question if this review is a genuine attempt to fix the problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe note that the review excludes any evaluation of the rates cap, land valuations, taxation and other local government funding sources,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re unsure how this review will contribute to the development of a sustainable local government funding model without considering these fundamental elements.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also severely disappointed that the VFF, a key stakeholder acting on behalf of thousands of farmers contributing significantly to Victoria\u2019s economy, was not consulted during the development of the terms of reference for this review.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to monitor this process with interest, and to understand how the review panel will engage with rural and regional ratepayers.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) is frustrated by the delayed timeline and the lack of a rates freeze following the recent announcement of a review of Victoria\u2019s rating system by the Andrews Government. \u201cRural and regional rate payers have been waiting since 6 November for action on a rates review following a pre-election promise made […]<\/p>\n