Residents will be expected to pay the rates on their property as determined by the valuation roll from July 1 regardless of whether they objected or not.
This is according to spokesperson for the City of Ekurhuleni, Zweli Dlamini. This will be long before the objection outcomes are received.
In response to questions sent by the NEWS, Dlamini said there is no fixed date as to when the outcome of the resident’s objections will be finalised.
“After the closing of objection period the municipal valuer will have to consider all objections and then value the properties accordingly. “This process takes months before the objection outcomes can be sent to the CoE,” Dlamini said.
This also means that residents will not receive the outcome of their objection on June 18 or even before July 1 but rather ‘expect them few months after the objection period has closed’.
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Dlamini said that only once complete, will objection outcome letters be forwarded to all objectors. He added that residents will be expected to pay the rates on the determined values in the meantime.
“However, residents can make arrangements with the Department of Finance to pay in accordance to the value they believe is appropriate. “Cognisance should be given to the fact that if the municipal valuer does not reduce the value of property, then the property owner should be prepared to pay the account together with outstanding fees caused by arrangements while waiting for objection outcomes,” Dlamini said.
According to Dlamini, the municipal valuer does not have a limit on how much to adjust the values for.
“Should it be more than a 10 per cent adjustment either upward or downward, the adjustment is subjected to a compulsory review by the Valuation Appeal Board in terms of Section 52 of the Municipal Property Rates Act No. 6 of 2004,” Dlamini said.
He also confirmed that the Edenvale and Germiston objection offices were closed.
“Some objections assistants did not report for duty,” he said.
Dlamini added that the issue had been resolved and those assisting with objections were back at the relevant customer care centres.
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