Our infrastructure. Should industrial ratepayers pay more?

We’re proposing to introduce a new rating category for industrial property owners, to share the rates burden more fairly across all of Tauranga’s ratepayers, and we want to know what you think.

The issue

We currently have two rating categories, residential and commercial, which make up Council’s total income from rates.

The current commercial category includes land whose primary use is commercial, industrial, port, transportation, or utilities. But we recognise industrial, port, transportation, and utilities properties have a greater impact than other commercial properties on Council infrastructure, such as roading, and on community wellbeing, including congestion and safety.

What we’re proposing

We think it would be fairer for all ratepayers to create a separate rating category for industrial and utility properties, which would mean they pay a higher proportion of the general rates.

The new industrial category would recognise the impact on our infrastructure from increasing volumes of heavy vehicles travelling from out of the region to and from the city’s industrial-related businesses.

It would also recognise the social and environmental impacts on the city from heavy vehicles and industrial, port-related and utility network activity, such as congestion, safety, and pollution, and would aim to even out the playing field when it comes to paying rates.

Crunching the numbers

If this proposal goes ahead, the median residential rates increase would be $3.39 per week rather than $5.36 per week. The median commercial rates increase would be $8.54 per week rather than $17.09 per week. The median industrial rate would increase from $12.14 per week to $44.12 per week