Farmers demand better rates deal

Farmers in KwaZulu-Natal have called for a yield-based rates payment system to be implemented on agricultural property when the Municipal Property Rates Act is amended.

They said the current rates regimen was forcing farmers out of business.

Speaking at a public hearing on the act yesterday, the farmers said the legislation would have dire consequences for the agricultural sector in the province if it was maintained in its current form.

The act, which was passed in 2004, has become a source of contention between ratepayers and municipalities in many parts of the country.

The hearings drew a wide range of interested parties, including municipalities, ratepayers' associations and traditional leaders.

Sandy la Marque, CEO of agricultural union Kwanalu, said farmers were not against paying rates but wanted a more equitable form of payment.

The Pietermaritzburg Rates Forum called for a special concession for households earning up to a maximum annual income of R100 000. The forum echoed Kwanalu's call for consistent application of the act.

Impendle municipal manager Sicelo Duma questioned the viability of the act for small municipalities with a limited revenue base.

An advisor in the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department, Mohammed Bhabha, said the department was aiming to correct problems in the act and to ensure poor households were excluded from paying rates.

The Mercury

Posted at 10:55AM Apr 29, 2010 by Editor in Agricultural  |