Tuesday, 2nd March 2010
Shopping Centres' Bid Will Hurt Ratepayers
A move by shopping centres and the Property Council to overturn pending state government legislation would cost councils $600 million in revenue and force residential rates in urban areas to increase dramatically, Local Government Association of Queensland president, Cr Paul Bell said today.
"The attitude of these big operators puts Ronnie Biggs to shame. It's a classic case of Robin Hood in reverse," Cr Bell said.
"The LGAQ is right behind the state government in its legislation, which will protect the ordinary ratepayer," he said.
"It's important to realise that the legislation will also mean shopping centre and large commercial centre owners will have rates on valuations returned to what they were paying prior to a recent multi-million dollar Appeals Court windfall for Pacific Fair.
"Unlike figures continually touted by the Property Council, the $600 million dollar loss is a figure first mentioned in parliament by Minister Stephen Robertson, based on real valuations. Our internal LGAQ analysis confirmed it as correct, and to be absolutely certain, we had it confirmed by an independent analyst.
"We continue to urge the state government to proceed with its legislation without delay and recognise the campaign against it for what it is – a greedy grab by the big end of town at the expense of the ordinary ratepayer," Cr Bell said.
