Wednesday, 7 July 2010

Council charges - no wonder you're feeling more broke than usual

Councillor and Mayor-in-waiting Jemmy Hill is circulating some calculations on increases in Council charges since amalgamation.

Just in case you’re wondering why your household budget is getting tighter, the following might explain:

Just to be clear, between Feb-07 and Aug-10:
  • Sewerage charges have risen by 66% and discounts for payment on-time have been removed.


  • Water charges have increased by 125% (assuming usage of 772 kl pa). If in response you reduce your water usage by -68% to 250 kl pa, charges will still rise by 45%. Discounts for payment on-time have also been removed.

 You have to wonder whether King Les really understands numbers like these.

1 comment:

abject subject said...

Of course King Les understands these numbers perfectly well. His own Council's finance policy has enshrined 'user pays' as its central tenet. The extraordinary price gouging that has occurred with rates and charges over the past 2 years is all about shifting the cost away from Council to the 'consumer'.