Central Coast Council, along with all NSW councils, will be required to collect the Fire and Emergency Services Levy (FESL) from property owners alongside rates, on behalf of the NSW Government, from July 1.
Currently, only insured property owners contribute directly to the funding for NSW Fire and Rescue, NSW Rural Fire Service and the State Emergency Service, to protect the community from fire, floods and other natural disasters as part of their premiums.
As a result, NSW property owners who insure their properties are subsidising households who don’t purchase home and contents insurance.
Central Coast Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said the levy, to be paid by all property owners, and collected by Council, will be clearly identified as a separate item on the rates notice.
“The amount of the Fire and Emergency Service Levy for each property will be set by the NSW Government and determined by land classifications and unimproved land values,” Mr Reynolds said.
“The NSW Valuer General is responsible for determining unimproved land values, while councils identify which land classification properties fall into.”
To introduce the FESL, the NSW Valuer General has recently completed a review of all land values in NSW, including the Central Coast.
This aligns all NSW properties with a single valuation base date so the FESL can be applied more equitably.
Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said the levy, whilst billed and collected by Council, will be passed on straight to the NSW Government to fund fire and emergency services.
A letter explaining the new levy will be sent to all Central Coast Council ratepayers with their April rates notice.
Ratepayers will also receive a letter from the NSW Valuer General detailing their new land value.
The NSW Government will provide an online calculator so property owners can compare the new levy with the amount they currently pay through their insurance.
The new land values must also be used for levying Council’s rates from 1 July 2017, meaning there may be an impact on some ratepayers’ rates despite the ‘rate path freeze’ set by the NSW Government for merged Councils.
Source:
Media release, Apr 26
Central Coast Council media