The plight of an ageing Meredith farmer working two additional jobs to pay his $5500 rates bill has reached the floor of state parliament.
Sixty-two-year-old Adrian McDonald battled to make ends meet while residents in Melbourne’s affluent Toorak paid council rates as low as $962 a year, the Upper House heard this week.
One of Mr McDonald’s extra jobs was driving a school bus on “less-than-satisfactory” country roads, MP Bev McArthur told parliament.
The new Member for Western Victoria used the contrast to highlight the “inequity in the current property tax system of council rates”, she said.
Ms McArthur asked the Local Government Minister to “alleviate the unfair burden on regional and rural ratepayers”.
She referred to a 2018 inquiry report finding that a Toorak resident paid $962 in rates on an $800,000 property while some country residents forked out $6990 for properties of the same value.
“Not only are rural townspeople victims of this inequity but also farmers who have seen up to a 52 per cent increase in property valuations and a huge consequential rate increase,” Ms McArthur said.
“State Government imposed annual valuations and consequent huge rate imposts come at a time when many farmers are doing it tough due to drought, lack of water access and other market and seasonal factors.”
The Liberals preselected Ms McArthur last year as a replacement for Simon Ramsay after his resignation over a drink-driving charge.
