Ratepayers can opt for payment plans

Baw Baw Shire Council is expected to receive $140,000 revenue from interest on late rates payments this year, but a report to council has outlined a number of payment options available to ratepayers to avoid interest.

A report was presented to council in response to a general business motion requesting council to consider the availability of rate payments plans without the imposition of interest.

Officers said interest was only charged when there are arrears on a property at the time interest is raised or there is no hardship arrangement in place.

Interest revenue from late payments is currently $71,600 for the current financial year. Officers anticipate this will reach $140,000. Of this, approximately $20,000 will be from accounts that are on a payment plan that are in arrears.

Ratepayers currently have a number of options available to them for the payment of rates including:

BPay, BPoint, or online credit card payments; Direct debit from the ratepayer’s nominated bank account;

Via telephone, mail or in person at a council customer service centre;

Post office; or, via Centrepay (deducted from Centrelink payments).

Ratepayers wishing to set up direct debits can do so via the council website.

The report said ratepayers also can enter into payment arrangements.

This can be by arrangement with council where a payment plan is calculated and instalments made via direct debit from the ratepayer’s bank account on a fortnightly or monthly basis.

Payment plans are calculated so that the ratepayer is kept up to date and the rates paid in full by the final rates instalment date of May 31. No interest is charged where the ratepayer is making payments in accordance with the payment plan.

The report said 1861 properties were on a payment arrangement, of which 1173 were in credit or ahead in their rates.

Officers said just over 10 per cent of ratepayers were making payments via direct debit.

Ratepayers also are able to make their own regular payments via any of the other payment options at a frequency that suits their circumstances, including weekly.

Seventy per cent of ratepayers make payments via BPay while about 15 per cent make payments at the post office.

Council’s hardship policy is in place for any ratepayer in circumstances of financial hardship who is in arrears to enable them to enter into a payment plan without the imposition of interest.

Cr Darren Wallace said Baw Baw Shire offered all the alternatives that other councils offered.

Whether a ratepayer wants to pay upfront or debited on a monthly or fortnightly basis, he said it should be up to the individual ratepayer. “We offer as much help as possible to set up what works best for them to pay their rates,” he said.