Rates are a vital source of income for Council which help fund essential services such as waste collection and provide new and upgraded infrastructure such as local roads, trees, signage and community facilities.
All amalgamated councils in NSW are required to review their rate structures by July 2021, to ensure an equitable and consistent approach across the Council area. This process is called 'rates harmonisation'.
The City of Parramatta currently has five different rating structures as a result of the Council amalgamations, which has led to inconsistencies in how rates are calculated. The aim of this process is not to increase income from rates but to provide a fair and consistent method of rate calculation across the whole council area.
Summary of Proposed Changes
Council commissioned an independent assessment of the five rating structures and has selected the ad-valorem based method of rate calculation as the preferred option (please note the minimum rate does not include the 2% Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) increase). The following minimum rates will apply:
- Residential rates - minimum of $707.50
- Business Ordinary rates - minimum of $500
- Business CBD and Industrial rates - minimum of $725
The amount paid in rates and the proposed changes will vary from property to property based on land values and other factors.
For more information about how rates are calculated and the proposed changes please also read the Summary Brochure in the RESOURES section of this page.
A short video explaining this information is also available below.
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- 본 사업에 관한 정보를 원하는 언어로 살펴보려면 자료 섹션을 참조하시기 바랍니다.
Have Your Say
Submissions have now closed as of 9:00am on Friday 8th of January 2021 .
Council will now review all submissions made by the community on the proposed new rating structure during the exhibition period.
If you have any questions about your rates please contact the team via email rates@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au or call Council and ask for a Rates officer via 1300 617 058.
Frequently Asked Questions
Council rates are a property tax and are a vital source of Council revenue.
Rates are used to provide essential infrastructure and services. This includes footpaths, resealing roads, and stormwater drainage as well as community facilities (parks, gardens, libraries, and pools).
Rates ‘ harmonisation’ refers to the process of reviewing how rates are calculated and under the current structure and moving to a single system that uses the same method to calculate rates.
All amalgamated councils in NSW are required to review their rate structures by July 2021, in order to create a single, fair rating structure across the entire Council area.
During the merger process, the State Government imposed a freeze which meant that amalgamated councils could not change the way rates were calculated. This means we have been maintaining five different rates structures from the councils that were amalgamated into the City of Parramatta (Auburn, Holroyd, Hills, and Hornsby) and as a result, the way rates are calculated varies.
No. Rates harmonisation is about the distribution of rates across the rating categories.
Properties are assigned a category and in some cases a sub-category for rating purposes and these are shown on your Rates Notice.
Rates are calculated on the land value of a property, which is determined by the NSW Valuer General who issues a Notice of Valuation every 3 years. This is multiplied by an ‘adopted-rate-in- dollar’ which is determined by Council by taking the total amount of money to be raised in general rates and dividing it by the total value of all rateable properties.
The rate in the dollar for the new preferred structure has not yet been determined as this is reliant on up to date valuations, numbers of properties and other factors which are constantly changing.
The average rate changes quoted in the brochure were based on figures at a particular point in time for the independent review.
The Council has categorised all rateable properties in accordance with s514 of the LG Act 1993 to be within one of the following rating categories.
- Residential
- Business
Business subcategories
- business CBD,
- business CBD #2
- Industrial
If you don’t agree with the Council’s categorisation of your property, you can contact us to request a review.
The NSW Valuer General is the statutory independent valuing authority in NSW. The the valuation process is something the Council cannot influence.
Information about the NSW Valuer General’s valuation process and how to request a review is issued with the valuation notices.
Phone: 1800 110 038
Website: www.valuergeneral.nsw.gov.au
Now that the exhibition has closed, Council will review all feedback and decide on a final course of action.
An application will be lodged with the Office of Local Government (OLG) to seek approval. If approved by OLG, new rates will take effect from 1 July 2021.
We will keep the community informed of our progress and will provide regular updates.
Council’s existing Rates Hardship Policy will be available to assist ratepayers who are eligible for assistance.
Ratepayers can also apply to pay their rates using an instalment plan instead of paying them as a lump sum.
