Important Changes to Council Terms & Conditions, Rates & Charges

There have been some important changes to the Payment Terms and Conditions for the 2024-25 financial year.

Rates are now due in four equal instalments on the following dates:

Larger amounts can still be paid at any time, including paying the total balance in full.

Pay Your Rates Here 

The Council determines the level of early payment discount it will offer when setting the rates each year. The discount for this year is 3.75% and it was previously 5%.

The reduced early payment discount is aimed at managing costs incurred by the Council. Offering early payment discounts is a significant cost and 5% was actually the highest discount rate offered by a Tasmanian council. 3.75% is still the second-highest discount.

From 1 July 2024, Council will charge interest on overdue rates balances. The goal is to encourage timely payments and ensure the equitable treatment of all ratepayers. There is a cost to the Council for debt collection which includes staff time and the production of reminder notices.

Ratepayers who cannot pay their balance by the due dates are strongly encouraged to set up a payment plan. Ratepayers already making regular payments to overdue debt balances are encouraged to review their arrangements to avoid interest penalties. Contact Council’s Rates Office for more information.

*The overdue interest rate has been decided by as per section 128 of The Local Government Act 1993. It is calculated daily and charged at the end of each month.

The Budget Estimates for the 2024-25 financial year indicated the Council requires a 5.86% increase in the General Rate. This increase equates to approximately $86 per year ($1.65 per week) for a medium residential property.

This increase is essential to ensuring the Council’s ongoing financial sustainability and will allow us to continue meeting the community’s service needs. It will also assist in addressing the operating deficits from the past five years.

The Council works hard to contain costs and keep rate increases as low as possible. However, we must balance this with the need for future investments, growth strategies and service delivery.

The Waste Service Charge will increase from $280 to $300 for the 2024-25 financial year, representing a 7.1% increase. This adjustment is necessary to cover the additional costs of providing kerbside collection services and an increase to the Tasmanian Landfill Levy.

This Tasmanian Landfill Levy has increased from $21.36 per tonne to $44.88 per tonne in 2024-25. This cost is set by the Tasmanian Government and is not a source of revenue for the Council.

The Landfill Levy have also led to an increase in fees at the Resource Recovery Centre. However, this is only for disposing of landfill waste and does not apply to recoverable materials like green waste, metal recycling and clean soil.

Resource Recovery Centre Fees & Charges 

As always, be sure to contact our friendly Customer Service team if you have any questions or concerns.