Territory Stories

The Northern Territory Manual for Council Staff working with Rates and Charges

Details:

Title

The Northern Territory Manual for Council Staff working with Rates and Charges

Collection

Department of Housing and Community Development newsletters; E-Journals; PublicationNT

Date

2017-03

Description

Made available via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT).; This publication contains may contain links to external sites. These external sites may no longer be active.

Notes

Illustrations by Shane Stringer

Language

English

Subject

Public Housing -- Northern Territory -- Periodicals; Housing subsidies -- Northern Territory -- Periodicals; Residential development -- Northern Territory -- Periodicals

Publisher name

Department of Housing and Community Development

Place of publication

Darwin

Copyright owner

Check within Publication or with content Publisher.

Parent handle

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/294782

Citation address

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/395883

Page content

dhcd.nt.gov.au Page 23 of 35 March 2017, version 12 reasonable given the type of activity that is carried out on that land as compared to other ratepayers in that class. for a public benefit including: securing the proper development of the councils area; preserving buildings or places of historical interest; protecting the environment; encouraging cultural activities; promoting community health or welfare; encouraging agriculture; and providing recreation or amusement for the public. However, such a rate concession may only be granted if authorised under a policy formally adopted by resolution of the council. Such a concession is subject to limitiations and conditions specified in that policy. NT concession schemes The Northern Territory Pensioner and Carer Concession Scheme (NTPCCS) provides financial subsidies to eligible members for electricity, water, sewerage, council rates, garbage rates, travel, spectacles, motor vehicle registration, urban public bus travel and drivers licence renewals. Each year before councils levy their rates, the NT Department of Health provides each participating council with a report detailing all those ratepayers eligible for a rate concession under the NT Pensioner and Carer Concession Scheme. Each participating council then levies the rates and applies the concession to the identified individual rate accounts and apportions the levy (less the concession) across the number of instalments allowed by the council. The councils then claim the amount of the concessions from the Department of Health. If a ratepayer becomes eligible for a concession part way through the year, they first pay their rates in full & then contact the Pension Concession Unit of the Department of Health for a pro-rata refund. The Unit contacts the council to confirm payment of the rates and then provide the refund direct to the claimant. The following year the new name appears on the report from NT Department of Health and the concession is applied automatically. Details of eligibility are at: www.health.nt.gov.au/NT_Pensioner_and_Carer_Concession_Scheme_NTPCCS/ind ex.aspx. Deferring rates If a council wishes to allow rates deferral, the council should have a clear policy on the matter. Rates deferral is when council puts requests for rates and charges payments on hold for a set period or an indefinite period. Payment of the rates and charges is deferred until such time as the ratepayers circumstances improve or the property is sold or transferred to another entity. http://www.health.nt.gov.au/NT_Pensioner_and_Carer_Concession_Scheme_NTPCCS/index.aspx http://www.health.nt.gov.au/NT_Pensioner_and_Carer_Concession_Scheme_NTPCCS/index.aspx