Opinion Poll Vindicates Our Campaign - ARC No Longer Functioning As A Credible Regional Government.

An opinion poll published in today's NZ Herald shows more than 70% of Aucklanders support the Rebellion campaign call for the Auckland Regional Council to reset the rates this year.

The poll also shows that almost 70% want a rates differential whereby businesses and commercial organisations would pay more than residential ratepayers, in line with previous practise - another of the demands in the Rebellion petition.

How much longer can the ARC resist the call to reset its rates?

It continues to deliberately mislead the public by saying it cannot reset the rates.

Its own lawyers again confirmed, at a special meeting yesterday, that it can drop provisions for penalties and can institute instalment payments, provided that such moves are part of a rate resetting process.

Previously the lawyers had told the council that it could legally reset the rates under the new Rating Act - subject to a change of circumstances or the discovery of irregularities..

The fact that the ARC no longer has a mandate for its rating policy is surely a very significant change of circumstances. And numerous irregularities are now emerging, including 10,000 'missing' ratepayers who were not billed, and lack of fairness in having a six-week spread of payment dates - disadvantaging those who paid on 6th August against those who need not pay until 15th September And the ARC's inability or defiance in failing to divulge how many people have failed to pay their full rates in accordance with the ARC demand.

This campaign is now biting hard into the credibility and ability of the ARC to function as a regional government. It's almost time for the Minister to step in.

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