MunicipalNews

A five year struggle with rates bill

RIVONIA - A resident has been struggling since 2008 to have her rates bill rectified.

She continues to receive interest charges on an incorrect property valuation and this year she was struck another blow.

Carol Cardwell, a pensioner, said in 2008 her property was revalued at R3.4 million, which she said was an obvious error. She said she was quick to object, but then she hung on for months before it was corrected to a value of R1.7 million. However, during that time she was receiving rates charges on the incorrect value. She was charged interest and legal fees while waiting for the valuation appeals board to rectify it. Everything else was eventually set straight except for the legal fees and interest charges which remained.

Since then she has had no luck in sorting the problem out and this year her property was incorrectly revalued again. “Now it starts all over again,” she said.

“I can’t say how many times I’ve been to the council. I’ve kept all the documentation and reference numbers and everyone I spoke to said that they can see the error and they will sort it out, but nobody has.”

Cardwell said she has even attended the Region E billing blitz open days where she was again assured that the problem would be rectified.

She said, “I don’t like having this hanging over me with interest accumulating. If I was very wealthy I probably would have just paid it by now.”

Thembelihle Radebe, City of Johannesburg spokesperson, said she would forward the matter to the billing department and follow it up.

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