District farmers are raising concerns about the financial impact of Temora Shire Council’s plan to increase rates exponentially over the next three years. Temora Shire Council is currently undertaking a community consultation process to receive feedback on its application for a Special Rate Variation (SRV) that will see unprecedented rate rises for local ratepayers. Council is considering three options which would see rates rise by either 79.40 per cent, 101.25 per cent or 124.25 per cent between now and 2029/30. Without an SRV, Council rates would instead rise by only 10.87 per cent over the same time period under the current rate pegging process. While Council has not yet approved the application for an SRV, it has indicated that its preferred option would be to increase rates by 79.40 per cent. Once approved by council, this SRV would then have to be considered by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal of New South Wales (IPART). While rates paid by farmers vary across the shire depending on the value of their land and the size of their property, a farmer currently paying $10,000 in annual rates would see their rates bill rise to $17,940 by 2029/2030 under council’s current preferred option. A joint meeting for district farmers has now been called by three local farming groups – the Temora branch of the NSW Farmers, Temora Agricultural Bureau and Mirrool Creek Grower Group. This meeting will be held next Monday afternoon, 24 August, from 4pm at Temora Ex-Services Memorial Club (see classifieds for details). District farmer and vice-president of the Temora NSW Farmers branch, Rob Allen, said he is deeply concerned about council’s preferred rate increase. Mr Allen said farmers appreciate the difficulties council faces due to rising cost pressures, because they have been facing similar pressure within the agricultural sector. “Farmers are feeling the pinch this year due to increased fuel and fertiliser costs, along with rising interest rates,” Mr Allen said. “This comes on top of significant rises across the board in input costs over the past few years.” Mr Allen noted that farm profit margins would continue to remain tight into the future and would only be exacerbated by council’s planned SRV. “Some farmers could see increases of tens of thousands of dollars in their rate bills.” According to Mr Allen, farming production has been mixed across the shire in recent seasons, with certain districts being hit hard by late frosts and dry conditions. A submission by the NSW Farmers at a state level to the State Government’s “Inquiry into the ability of local governments to fund infrastructure and services” called for a pause on all SRVs. “The tax on the value of the land has no relation to the farmer’s or the land holder’s income and therefore ability to pay,” the submission noted. “The increases disproportionately affect agriculture’s profitability more than other businesses.” Mr Allen noted district farmers have always enjoyed a good relationship with council, working together for the collective benefit of the Temora Shire community. While farmers rely on council to maintain the rural road network, the agricultural sector is also the largest contributor to the local economy, creating further benefits for local businesses. Mr Allen is encouraging all district farmers interested in finding out more about the implications of the SRV to attend next week’s meeting, and to make submissions to council raising any concerns. Submissions to council relating to the proposed SRV can be made until 9am on 28 August. NSW Farmers Temora Branch
