GREATER Shepparton City Council Mayor, Cr Shane Sali, said council is extremely disappointed that the fund will lead to money being directly taken from regional Victoria.
“This legislation will result in millions of additional dollars being collected from regional communities like Greater Shepparton,” Cr Sali said.
“For our municipality alone, this change means an increase of more than $4.7 million compared to what is currently collected under the FSPL.
“Under the new structure, the primary production variable rate will rise sharply from 28.7 cents to 71.8 cents per $1,000 of Capital Improved Value (CIV), a shift that disproportionately affects regional and rural areas.
In addition to the financial impact on regional communities, Cr Sali highlighted the ongoing trend of cost shifting from the State Government to local councils.
Latest Stories
“Councils are increasingly funding services that should be a State responsibility, everything from libraries and school crossings to maternal and child health, kindergartens, waste, and environmental management,” he said.
“Now we are being asked to absorb not just the financial hit as landowners, but also the potential cost and complexity of collecting this new tax on behalf of the State.”
