Low-income residents in Masterton may be in for a bit of light relief when it comes to paying rates.
The rates rebate scheme has been reviewed and anyone earning under $20,000 (including beneficiaries and pensioners) can get $500 back on their rates, if the bill is over $1000.
A single person's superannuation
rate is $16,645 making them eligible for the $500 rebate. A couple's superannuation is $25,276, which means they would receive a pro rata rebate of $234, but only if their bill is over $1500.
Masterton District Council finance manager David Paris says the rebate was announced last year by the Government and administered by Internal Affairs, but there has been little publicity about it. He expects a deluge of enquiries once people latch on to it.
Mr Paris said there has always been some rates help for those on a low income, but the threshold was so low hardly anyone qualified. Until the Government set the new $20,000 figure, it had stood at $7400 since 1973/74, with a rebate of $200.
Masterton is considered a low income region with figures from the 2001 census suggesting 60 per cent of people lived on less than $18,000 a year.
