THE state government has decided to start “broad discussions” about council amalgamations once again, offering a range of enticements to garner support for its long-term plans with government, particularly local government, and cost shifting.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The state government collects millions of dollars in “taxes” from local government to prop up it coffers and mismanaged practices.
It is indicating to those councils that could be considering amalgamating into more sizable councils - and centralised administrations – that the rules on rate pegging could be changed, allowing for revenue increases.
If that did occur, it could be claimed that amalgamated or larger councils would require more revenue to function, not less as one might expect from a larger, more financially efficient conglomerate.
It seems the real reason the state government is supporting some local and/or regional council amalgamations is it no longer wants to return taxes collected from rural NSW in the form of grants.
It wants councils to raise even more revenue than they do at the present time, which will bolster state government coffers even more.
Amalgamations are not about providing services more efficiently to communities, but more about providing more funds for politicians and their bureaucracies.
The state government is in a bit of a mess right now, so don’t let the politicians take you for a sucker anymore.
They have some ethical problems as well.
Allan Brown
Batemans Bay
