Question On Notice No. 6075 asked in the Legislative Assembly on 31 March 2020 by Mr D.T. Redman
Question Directed to the: Minister representing the Minister for Regional Development; Agriculture and Food; Ports; Minister Assisting the Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
Question
I refer to the Recognised Biosecurity Rate raised on the Shires of Boyup Brook and Bridgetown, and ask:
(a) Have notices been sent out to those required to pay the rate;
(b) How many of those who are required to pay the rate, have paid the rate;
(c) What is the percentage of those required to pay the rate against those who have paid the rate;
(d) Can the Minister break this information down by the two individual shires;
(e) What is the Minister's strategy to ensure all who are required to pay the rate are compliant with it; and
(f) Is the Minister aware of anyone who rightly should be issued a rate
notice to pay the rate, but due to lack of mailing information has not
received a rate notice?
Answered on 15 April 2020
- Yes.
- 2,309.
- 62%.
- Bridgetown-Balingup:
- 1,777 notices have been paid
- A total of 66% of landholders have paid
Boyup Brook:
- 532 notices have been paid
- A total of 51% of landholders have paid
- The rates are collected by the Office of State Revenue (OSR) and there is a Collections Policy which is followed to ensure outstanding debts are collected. In cases of non-payment, OSR can place a memorial on property titles. This ensures that the State has a registered interest in the event of the property’s sale or liquidation. This step is applied in few cases, and only when all other methods to encourage payment of the rate have failed.
- There are approximately 40 landholders across the two shires that the Department is yet to identify correct addresses for. This could be improved if all local governments shared ratepayer address data with the Department. The Boyup Brook Shire has not shared ratepayer address data.