Act now to receive 7.5% discount on your rates

Act now to receive 7.5% discount on your rates

With the half yearly rate notices due soon, Council kindly reminds residents that the 7.5% discount applicable within the extended 60-day discount period will not apply to payments made after the due date of 26 March 2021.

In supporting the community through COVID-19 at an estimated cost of more than $1.4m, Southern Downs Regional Council made a number of significant changes to how rates and charges were issued in 2020/2021 to provide additional financial respite to ratepayers.

Council moved from a single annual rates notice to two six-monthly notices aimed at easing the financial burden on ratepayers and businesses during unprecedented trio of challenges which included drought, bushfires and a global pandemic.

Southern Downs Mayor Vic Pennisi said “Providing for the community and meeting expectations is not easy and not cheap. The funds received from ratepayers are invested directly back into your community to provide important infrastructure and services that make our region a better place to live, work, stay and play.

“Maintaining our sporting fields, libraries, parks and playgrounds, waste management and providing community services are all made possible through your rates.

“Rates also support initiatives focused on protecting our environment and maintaining our roads, bridges and footpaths.”

Residents who pay their current general rates in full on or before the 26 March due date will still be able to benefit from the 7.5% discount.

Rates and charges may be paid outside the due date subject to an agreement between Council and the ratepayer, however discounts will not apply for these agreements.

Ratepayers who are having difficulty paying their rates and charges are encouraged to contact Council to arrange a confidential payment agreement to pay off their rates in smaller more manageable amounts.

Council further reminds residents paying via BPAY to take into account that it can take 3-5 days for funds to clear and the payment to be applied to their account. Payment should be made a few days prior to the due date of 26 March to buffer this delay and take advantage of the 7.5% discount.

The 2020/21 Annual Budget delivered a zero per cent rate rise until the end of 2020 to support the community and regional economy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The actual rise of 1.9%, the lowest in more than a decade, was offset by a COVID-19 Concession, which equated to no cost increase to rate payers for the first six months of the financial year when applied at the time of billing the first half yearly rates notice.