Johannesburg - Ordinary Gauteng residents will be “laughed off” if they tried to pay off rates arrears over two years, but the provincial government expects special treatment in this regard, negatively affecting service delivery, the DA said on Sunday.
The Gauteng infrastructure development department (GDID) has admitted it is unable to pay an outstanding rates bill of R57,150 for a house it owns in Dewetshof in east Johannesburg, Democratic Alliance MPL Jack Bloom said.
“I was astonished when I received this information in a written reply by Gauteng infrastructure development MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza in reply to my questions in the Gauteng legislature,” he said.
According to Mayathula-Khoza, “the non-payment of the account is due to insufficient budgetary allocation for the payment of assessment rates of GPG properties… GDID therefore prioritises payments for those properties that provide essential services, such as education and health facilities”.
“The GDID has requested an additional budget allocation to make up the shortfall for the 2015/16 financial year through the budget adjustment process. The additional funding, if allocated, will be used to settle rates accounts that are in arrears, like the property in question,” she said in her reply.
Bloom said ordinary residents had to pay their rates, but a provincial government department refused to pay on the grounds that there was no budget.
“It sets a very poor example, especially since the city of Johannesburg has already served summons for the rates to be paid on this house.”
Gauteng finance MEC Barbara Creecy recently committed the provincial government to clearing its municipal arrears “over the next two years”.
“If any resident said they would pay over two years they would be laughed off. Why should provincial government get special treatment for non-payment? Non-payment effects the delivery of services. We should expect better from provincial government in paying its municipal bills promptly,” Bloom said.
African News Agency