12 June 2013

Ratepayers ACT are not happy

| Barcham
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Peter Jansen of the Ratepayers’ Association of the ACT has shared this release with us this morning.

ACT Government interfering with Independent Water Pricing Commission?

The ACT Governments actions in having the ICRC water pricing decision delayed is inappropriate at best and an outrageous, dictatorial, blatant, & political interference at worst.

The Commission which handed down its draft determination months ago was to hand down its final determination today but has been “prevailed upon” to delay that decision by the ACT Government.
This smacks of interference, if its sounds like interference, looks like interference and smells like interference then it is interference.

The ICRC decision was expected to announce reductions in water & sewerage prices which are well overdue.

Water & sewerage prices in the ACT are the most expensive in Australia and for too long have been used as a backdoor method of revenue raising.

Families in homes in particular have borne the burden of excessive charges for far too long.

Whilst we agree with pricing messages in times of severe drought to continue those exploitative prices is an outrageous tax grab particularly at the expense of those who can least afford it.

The ACT Government has been aware of the ICRC draft determination for months and this last minute manoeuvre is being interpreted as inappropriate at best and outrageous dictatorial blatant political interference at worst.

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HiddenDragon10:47 am 12 Jun 13

“Families in homes in particular have borne the burden of excessive charges for far too long.” – does this mean that the Ratepayers’ Association thinks that residential users are cross-subsidising commercial and other non-residential users?

I don’t like the increases, either, but when there is a problem with an essential service, I want ACTEW to have the resources to fix it a.s.a.p.; and if we don’t get slugged through water and electricity prices by the Government, it will happen in some other way.

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