Date: 19/02/2004
Source: Democratic Alliance
Title: Grobler: Debate on the Property Rates Bill
Madam Speaker.
Many hours were spent on this Bill. If the Chairperson had not been such a long winded person, we could have saved at least another 50 hours.
On a more serious note Speaker....
This committee gave ample opportunity to all those stake holders who have an interest in this most difficult and highly technical Bill to offer their inputs.
At times emotions ran a bit high. Show me a person or organization who will volunteer to pay rates or taxes.
As with any Bill it is difficult to satisfy everybody. The first draft of the Bill could not be described as an example of a well thought through Bill. The Department of Provincial and Local Government, with the guidance of the Portfolio Committee, and the many valuable inputs from stakeholders, (as a team), managed to arrive at a much more acceptable Bill than the one that originally landed on our desks. SALGA, not the most efficient organization I have come across, except for arranging so called workshops in every corner of South Africa with the main purpose of squandering rates and taxpayers money on outings, as we recently discovered in Cape Town, their officials at the committee contributed beyond expectations during deliberations on this Bill.
Constructive assistance was provided to the Department in many instances. At times, I got the impression that the Department was at a total loss because changes to clauses were made on a continuous basis presumably under pressure from certain stake holders and politicians from the ruling party.
Speaker ......
This Bill has many positive elements regarding property rates. Well debated and well thought through clauses that objectively consider every sector that is operating within the boundaries of municipalities. Literary hundreds of inputs and discussions took place between the Portfolio Committee, stakeholders, as well as overseas and local experts on property rates, ranging from agriculture, religious, welfare and Public Sector Infrastructure Institutions to name but a few. It is impossible to please everybody, but we believe that at the end of all these deliberations, most of the organizations and institutions should be fairly satisfied with the outcome. Nobody can produce a perfect Bill and this Bill is no exception, but even this Bill is not cast in stone and amendments can be looked at in the future.
Religious organizations received a very sympathetic ear from the Portfolio committee. Not only is the actual place of worship of religious organizations excluded from paying property rates but also the official residence of an appropriate office-bearer of a religious community. (I have tried, for election purposes, to include Ellispark, Newlands and the FNB stadiums as places of worship but was unsuccessful.) Other organizations and institutions were looked at and will be dealt with by my colleague later in this debate.
Speaker
Die Demokratiese Alliansie het reeds gedurende die bespreking van die wetsontwerp aangedui dat ons nie ten gunste van sekere toegewings is, soos vervat in die konsepwetgewing voor ons nie. Derhalwe kan die Demokratiese Alliansie nie die wetsontwerp in sy huidige vorm ten volle ondersteun nie.
Deur die toegewings aan die Publieke Sektor Instellings, waar n korting van 30% toegestaan kan word, gee n onregverdige voordeel aan die instellings teenoor privaat instellings. Telkom as voorbeeld betaal reeds nie enige vergoeding vir die grond waarop hulle byvoorbeeld torings oprig nie, maar instellings soos Vodacom, MTN en andere moet wel vir die voorregte, vergoeding betaal.
Speaker
The Democratic Alliance as well as the Agricultural sector, is particularly concerned with the problem which may arise devising a proper definition of "bona -fide" farmer. We believe that reverting to "farmers" only, coupled with the application of clause 3 (2A), will be more acceptable. However this request from the DA and the agricultural sector was first accepted, but at a later stage rejected by the majority party committee members.
Unfortunately, special treatment in terms of the Bill has consequently excluded game farming as an agricultural activity.
The Democratic Alliance disagrees with the prescription of rates based as either the improved value of the property or a flat rate for property within a specified valuation band. The DA believes in allowing municipalities a local option with regard to determining the tax base to be used, including the improved capital value, the land and the annual rental value. The DA disagrees with the implementation of a flat rate, given that it does not encourage the development of a property market for those properties, and it is notoriously difficult to phase out. A proviso is that when a flat rate is applied it should only be applied at the lowest end of properties valuated.
A major concern Speaker, apart from the problems that we have with some clauses in the Bill, for the Democratic Alliance is still the fact that many municipalities do not have the capacity to implement this Bill. A problem with many other laws to. Stake holders will have to make use of the necessary mechanisms built into this Bill to safeguard their interests. Therefore they must become actively involved in the activities of their respective municipalities. Provision has been made for mechanisms such as petitions to the MEC and Minister if they feel that a municipality has not fully complied with the norms and standards that are provided for in this Bill.
Speaker.
Die gebrek aan belangstelling van die ander politieke partye in die belangrike wetsontwerp was opvallend. Nie een opposisie party, behalwe die Demokratiese Alliansie, het die afgelope maande aan die proses deelgeneem nie. Geen wonder dat die NNP leier Van Schalkwyk, n growwe onwaarheid oor n radio program kwyt geraak het as gevolg van hulle onkunde nie.
Volgens hom, het die NNP daarin geslaag om die ANC te ooreed om die wet op Eiendomsbelasting GEAMMENDEER te kry ( wat n verkragting van Afrikaans ) om die boere teen onnodige ho
Source: Democratic Alliance
Title: Grobler: Debate on the Property Rates Bill
Madam Speaker.
Many hours were spent on this Bill. If the Chairperson had not been such a long winded person, we could have saved at least another 50 hours.
On a more serious note Speaker....
This committee gave ample opportunity to all those stake holders who have an interest in this most difficult and highly technical Bill to offer their inputs.
At times emotions ran a bit high. Show me a person or organization who will volunteer to pay rates or taxes.
As with any Bill it is difficult to satisfy everybody. The first draft of the Bill could not be described as an example of a well thought through Bill. The Department of Provincial and Local Government, with the guidance of the Portfolio Committee, and the many valuable inputs from stakeholders, (as a team), managed to arrive at a much more acceptable Bill than the one that originally landed on our desks. SALGA, not the most efficient organization I have come across, except for arranging so called workshops in every corner of South Africa with the main purpose of squandering rates and taxpayers money on outings, as we recently discovered in Cape Town, their officials at the committee contributed beyond expectations during deliberations on this Bill.
Constructive assistance was provided to the Department in many instances. At times, I got the impression that the Department was at a total loss because changes to clauses were made on a continuous basis presumably under pressure from certain stake holders and politicians from the ruling party.
Speaker ......
This Bill has many positive elements regarding property rates. Well debated and well thought through clauses that objectively consider every sector that is operating within the boundaries of municipalities. Literary hundreds of inputs and discussions took place between the Portfolio Committee, stakeholders, as well as overseas and local experts on property rates, ranging from agriculture, religious, welfare and Public Sector Infrastructure Institutions to name but a few. It is impossible to please everybody, but we believe that at the end of all these deliberations, most of the organizations and institutions should be fairly satisfied with the outcome. Nobody can produce a perfect Bill and this Bill is no exception, but even this Bill is not cast in stone and amendments can be looked at in the future.
Religious organizations received a very sympathetic ear from the Portfolio committee. Not only is the actual place of worship of religious organizations excluded from paying property rates but also the official residence of an appropriate office-bearer of a religious community. (I have tried, for election purposes, to include Ellispark, Newlands and the FNB stadiums as places of worship but was unsuccessful.) Other organizations and institutions were looked at and will be dealt with by my colleague later in this debate.
Speaker
Die Demokratiese Alliansie het reeds gedurende die bespreking van die wetsontwerp aangedui dat ons nie ten gunste van sekere toegewings is, soos vervat in die konsepwetgewing voor ons nie. Derhalwe kan die Demokratiese Alliansie nie die wetsontwerp in sy huidige vorm ten volle ondersteun nie.
Deur die toegewings aan die Publieke Sektor Instellings, waar n korting van 30% toegestaan kan word, gee n onregverdige voordeel aan die instellings teenoor privaat instellings. Telkom as voorbeeld betaal reeds nie enige vergoeding vir die grond waarop hulle byvoorbeeld torings oprig nie, maar instellings soos Vodacom, MTN en andere moet wel vir die voorregte, vergoeding betaal.
Speaker
The Democratic Alliance as well as the Agricultural sector, is particularly concerned with the problem which may arise devising a proper definition of "bona -fide" farmer. We believe that reverting to "farmers" only, coupled with the application of clause 3 (2A), will be more acceptable. However this request from the DA and the agricultural sector was first accepted, but at a later stage rejected by the majority party committee members.
Unfortunately, special treatment in terms of the Bill has consequently excluded game farming as an agricultural activity.
The Democratic Alliance disagrees with the prescription of rates based as either the improved value of the property or a flat rate for property within a specified valuation band. The DA believes in allowing municipalities a local option with regard to determining the tax base to be used, including the improved capital value, the land and the annual rental value. The DA disagrees with the implementation of a flat rate, given that it does not encourage the development of a property market for those properties, and it is notoriously difficult to phase out. A proviso is that when a flat rate is applied it should only be applied at the lowest end of properties valuated.
A major concern Speaker, apart from the problems that we have with some clauses in the Bill, for the Democratic Alliance is still the fact that many municipalities do not have the capacity to implement this Bill. A problem with many other laws to. Stake holders will have to make use of the necessary mechanisms built into this Bill to safeguard their interests. Therefore they must become actively involved in the activities of their respective municipalities. Provision has been made for mechanisms such as petitions to the MEC and Minister if they feel that a municipality has not fully complied with the norms and standards that are provided for in this Bill.
Speaker.
Die gebrek aan belangstelling van die ander politieke partye in die belangrike wetsontwerp was opvallend. Nie een opposisie party, behalwe die Demokratiese Alliansie, het die afgelope maande aan die proses deelgeneem nie. Geen wonder dat die NNP leier Van Schalkwyk, n growwe onwaarheid oor n radio program kwyt geraak het as gevolg van hulle onkunde nie.
Volgens hom, het die NNP daarin geslaag om die ANC te ooreed om die wet op Eiendomsbelasting GEAMMENDEER te kry ( wat n verkragting van Afrikaans ) om die boere teen onnodige ho
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