Many who may qualify for rebates don’t apply
Rates rebate applications for the rating year July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019, close on June 30 this year, and are not accepted after that date.
Grey Power is giving early advice because we believe that many ratepayers who may qualify for a rebate are not making application and are missing out on the rebate.
Grey Power became involved when a large number of its members, particularly those in cities with rapidly expanding populations, were experiencing financial hardship because of burgeoning rates increases – often well beyond the rate of inflation on which superannuation is measured. Many were asset rich and cash poor.
Local bodies set a large part of their rates on capital value and when these soared rates became unaffordable for many.
Initially, ratepayers in retirement villages were excluded but that didn’t wash with Grey Power which continued, along with the Retirement Villages Association, to make strong representation to the government to include retirement village residents in the scheme.
The government finally agreed, and residents can now apply for a rates rebate for the 2018-2019 year. Your councils have the information and staff to assist.
Some will not be eligible because of financial circumstances but for others the rebate could be up to $630 so it’s worth inquiring.
Geoff Piercy, past president, Grey Power Southland
An uneasy mix of urges
The events in Christchurch on Friday arise from a strong need in some individuals, or groups, to feel superior to and better than others along with an inability to accept and tolerate difference.
It seems that we are all an uneasy mix of competitive and co-operative urges. How these manifest, at an individual level or culturally, has been shaped over millennia by the dominant belief systems to which we have been exposed. The implicit, or explicit, values absorbed by an individual can have a lifelong influence.
‘‘Gentler cultures’’ tend to be more tolerant of diversity and difference.
Pondering what it may be that makes some cultures this way and others quite the opposite could be a New Zealand-wide discussion worth having at some point.
Values, expressed or not, underlie any belief system. Likewise culture, political systems or the law of the land. These determine what sort of country we make for ourselves.
Are we a competitive society or a co-operative one or a bit of both?
Out of a barbaric act the answer is clear. I am proud to be a Kiwi and the spontaneous expressions of love, openly given and accepted, give credibility to the statement: We are one.
Ignore messages coming from countries that talk of ‘‘exceptionalism’’ and ‘‘enemies’’. Our future on this planet is certainly not that way. Daniel Phillips
Core services
The biggest challenge the Southland District Council faces, writes Mayor Gary Tong (March 15), is the widening gap between the rising cost of providing core services and the small population able to help fund it.
My guess is that priorities for any council are in the eye of the beholder.
What’s more important – (say) an alternative water supply for Invercargill, or a putative Chinese Garden?
Business as usual, or a lovely new super-plaza that will attract people from all over the world— disregarding any transient minor inconveniences to the pleb incumbents?
The fault lies in our political systems. Quite simply, we don’t have democracy – we have dictatorship of/by/for elected officials.
With modern electronics (the web) we could economically put every major decision to the electorate. Before any final vote the people should be provided with all the relevant facts – and I doubt very much that impressive new buildings would enter multi mega-dollar overspend.
Government servants should serve – not dictate. So, what is a ‘‘core service’’? Roads, water, infrastructures . . . trips to China for the elected to buy invisible festive decorations that don’t work anyway?
John Hunter
Media Council
Anyone wishing to make a complaint to the New Zealand Media Council should first put it in writing to the editor. If not satisfied with the reply, complainants should then write to The Secretary, New Zealand Media Council, Box 10 879, Wellington, including a clipping of the disputed article and copies of the correspondence.
Letters
Letters are welcome, but writers must provide their name, address and telephone number as a sign of good faith – pseudonyms are not acceptable. So that as many letters as possible can be published, each letter should be no more than 250 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for length, sense, legal reasons and on grounds of good taste. Please send your letters to: The Editor, The Southland Times, PO Box 805, Invercargill; fax on (03) 214 9905; or email to letters@stl.co.nz
The implicit, or explicit, values absorbed by an individual can have a lifelong influence.