RATES PROBE A MASSIVE WIN FOR COMMUNITY

THE action from Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate was swift – and it needed to be. Revelations in the Bulletin that residents were being stung additional fees on their rates notice because their residential property was not categorised properly created an enormous amount of angst in the community.

The response from Bulletin readers was a mix of disbelief and frustration.

You told us in no uncertain terms that this confusing quirk in the paperwork was unacceptable, particularly the lack of recourse residents had when it comes to recovering the money on historical notices.

You have 30 days under the current set-up to challenge the classification and you can only fight for a refund or credit on the notice in question.

Anything prior to that, tough luck, it’s not coming back.

With the Bulletin shining a spotlight on this rates issue and Mr Tate now demanding an immediate investigation of the situation, this is most certainly a win for the people of the Gold Coast.

And it’s a win at a time when we need it most.

Cost-of-living pressure has reached a level for many that is adding an enormous amount of stress for families across the city.

Fuel prices have gone up, and fruit and vegetables and other staples that many a household simply can’t do without are all costing more.

So for the vast majority of ratepayers, the idea of handing over additional money for your property that council had no claim to is beyond infuriating.

These are the times when every dollar counts.

Granted, Mr Tate does make a valid point about checking your rates notice and the classification.

Now that the Bulletin has helped to get this information out there, people should be looking closer at the fine print to make sure they are not losing out on hard-earned money.

But to be completely fair, the way in which the wording was used in the rates notice without a proper education campaign is an easy trip-up for many people.

And it only serves to create a disconnect between the people of this city and their local government.

How long has this been allowed to happen and how much have people lost are valid questions from the community.

And the council, if it is being reasonable to ratepayers, simply must do more to help out those homeowners who have been copping this hit to the hip-pocket for too long.

The investigation into this mess is a good start.