Dunedin City Council’s 17.4% rates hike unacceptable

Responding to Dunedin City Council’s proposal to hike rates by 17.4% for the 2024/25 financial year, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman, Alex Murphy, said:

“The false argument that time and again gets thrown out by councils is that these monstrous rate hikes are the only way to combat debt – but that is simply rubbish.

“According to our 2023 Ratepayers Report, the Dunedin City Council Group employs a whopping 1673 full-time staff, 372 of which earn over $100,000 a year and employs 20 staff just for communications and marketing.

“As is the same with many other councils across New Zealand, Dunedin City Council has got a spending problem – not a funding problem. If the Council wants to address its debt monster, it should tackle the bloated back-office rather than once again forcing ratepayers to front up.”