CASEY’S draft budget plan for 2015-16 states ratepayers are looking at an overall increase in rates and charges of 3.87 per cent.
But the recent State Budget also states that ratepayers will be hit with a 7.2 per cent increase in the Fire Services Property Levy (FSPL).
Although the FSPL was previously collected by insurance companies, the present Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas, when he was in opposition, said, in 2013, that insurance premiums had increased by as much as 55 per cent.
Mr Pallas also said “The FSPL has been botched“ and that “The Napthine Government needed to review the operation of this tax.“
The Victorian Premier, in addition, promised we would have no increase in taxes.
My question to the Victorian Treasurer is this: is it not a double standard for your government to claim that councils must limit future rates and charges to the CPI while the FSPL is not subject to the same criteria?
How will ratepayers be any better off if you increase the FSPL over and above any increase in council rates and charges?
John Glazebrook,
Endeavour Hills.
Fired up over levy
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