The implementation of the 2013 valuation roll and the review of property rates by the Rehoboth Town Council has infuriated the residents, as they claimed the council charged up to a 400% increase in property taxes.
The implementation of the change in rates, according to residents, forced some residents into arrears, as they simply cannot afford the new rates.
What is more disturbing for these residents is that the council has embarked on an aggressive service suspension (for water and electricity) exercise for those in arrears of property taxes.
Some residents’ rates have increased from N$256.67 to N$661.67 per month.
The town council has implemented the 2013 valuation roll in November last year as approved by the valuation court as well as the gazetted rates.
Residents who spoke to New Era accused the municipality of failing to implement the evaluation roll that was drafted in 2013 and approved in 2017.
They said residents are now paying for council’s mistakes.
“They have failed to implement the valuation roll, and they have now put the financial burden on us. This is unacceptable. They need to write off that money so that they start afresh because our water and electricity were up to date,” said Peter van Wyk, an irate resident.
“We have been asking them why they did not put the rates and taxes on our houses, but they told us the council has done us a favour. Now, we have to pay the accumulated money,” he said.
Another resident, Hans Mosterd, also said the town council failed them; he wants the accounts for the pensioners to be written off to avoid the disconnection of services.
The town council’s acting CEO and human resources manager, Ronald Windswaai, confirmed the increase; however, he indicated the town council has put in place relaxation measures that resolved to charge the residents fairly.
He said the matter was prompted by the financial accounts conversion to the Munsoft financial system.
Windswaai said the rates in the billing system reflect a reduction in the billing of November last year after the residents were informed through public notice.
“This prompted the council to convene a special meeting to see how best the outcry can be put off without depriving the council of charging residents fairly. To ensure progress, the council analysed the gazette property rates vs the property values as contained in the roll of 2013 and was determined that indeed that monthly billing for all properties is too high, especially when economic conditions have not fully recovered from the effects of Covid-19,” he said.
Windswaai further explained the council deliberated extensively on the matter and resolved to reduce the tariffs for residents whose accounts are in arrears and have services that are disconnected.