Phil Goff proposes 'one-off' 5 percent rates increase after 'unprecedented' $1b loss
Releasing the mayoral proposal for Auckland's 10-year budget, Goff says "we need to take more urgent action now". "This recovery budget aims to meet the challenges posed by COVID-19 and the massive financial impact it has had on the city, while ensuring that the burden on ratepayers is kept as low and fair as possible," Goff says.
"This not a slash-and-burn budget but it's also not the budget we had hoped to put out at the start of the year. We have to accept that COVID has changed our financial landscape and change our plans accordingly."
The budget responds to the COVID-19 loss by:
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***Locking in savings of at least $90 million each year for the next three years
***Selling surplus properties to invest in critical infrastructure
***Temporarily increasing borrowing for three years by lifting the debt-to-revenue ratio to up to 290 percent, then returning to the current level
***Increasing rates by 5 percent by one year before returning to 3.5 percent the following year
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Goff warns without taking these measures "our city will go backwards". "We don't want a city full of potholes and unkept parks, so we need to take more urgent action now," he says. "While not all Aucklanders will be thrilled with a one-off rates bump of $36, it is a one-off measure that amounts to less than 70 cents a week for the average property. "Now is not the time to cut back on fixing our city's infrastructure. We have been catching up on decades of underinvestment through our previous 10-year budget and were making significant progress on our infrastructure deficit. We cannot allow that momentum to be wasted."
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Some Choice News!
Many New Zealand gardens aren’t seeing as many monarch butterflies fluttering around their swan plants and flower beds these days — the hungry Asian paper wasp has been taking its toll.
Thanks to people like Alan Baldick, who’s made it his mission to protect the monarch, his neighbours still get to enjoy these beautiful butterflies in their own backyards.
Thinking about planting something to invite more butterflies, bees, and birds into your garden?
Thanks for your mahi, Alan! We hope this brings a smile!
Poll: Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?
🎁 Holiday Gift Chat!
Do you ever regift?
What’s your take on asking for a receipt if a gift doesn’t fit?
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78.3% Yes! It's better to regift what I don't need
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21.7% No. It's the thought and effort that matters
The gift of giving …?
The author of “The Gift of the Magi” is O. Henry, a pseudonym for William Sydney Porter.
“The Gift of the Magi” is a poignant short story about a young couple, Jim and Della, who are deeply in love but financially struggling. With Christmas approaching and limited money, each decides to sacrifice their most prized possession to buy a meaningful gift for the other. Della sells her beautiful long hair to buy a platinum chain for Jim’s watch, while Jim sells his grandfather’s watch to buy a set of combs for Della’s hair. In the end, their love and sacrifice underscore the true spirit of giving during the holiday season.
🤔
I would say the story underscores the stupidity of Xmas gifts … after all, it is not YOUR birthday, so how about donating something to good causes and otherwise enjoying being together?
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