2009-02-26: Valuations objections process update
THE Valuations Department is about 85% complete with finalizing more than 21 000 objections received since May 2008.
"We have set a deadline to complete this process by end March 2009 however we have already started sending letters to each objector stipulating the new data captured in the supplementary valuations roll" says Councillor Parks Tau Member of the Mayoral Committee for Finance and Economic Development.
Continuing he says, "If you can remember the public had the opportunity to inspect and object to specific individual property values listed in the General Valuation Roll (GVR) over a 90 day period, 60 days more than the prescribed 30 day period".
The formal objection period began on 27 February 2008 and ended on 27 May 2008.
The GVR is a list of every property in the City of which there are now 874 000 including individual sectional title units. It contains each suburb's name, category of property, erf size, erf number, owner's name and market value of each property.
Councillor Tau said that the entire process was complex with many inputs from various departments.
"Two rather important steps are the submission of the voucher change by the Valuations Department to the Rates and Taxes Directorate that in turn amends the billing system to reflect the correct detail of the municipal change which the property owner then gets notified of, thereafter the appeal process can logically follow", says Councillor Tau.
He said property owners would be notified via their next municipal statement depending on when the respective billing cycles started and ended. He also said that only those who had formally completed and submitted an objection form had the right to appeal.
The Municipal Valuer's notice will detail the process to be followed for an appeal. Property owners have 30 days to appeal from date of receiving official notification.
The Municipal Property Rates Act came into effect on 2 July 2005 and seeks to achieve some of the following: regulate the power of municipalities to levy rates; require municipalities to formulate rating policies and make provision for fair and equitable valuation methods of properties.
An important requirement of the Act was that Joburg had to have a rates policy and an updated general valuation roll in place before the 1 July 2008.
Issued on behalf of:
Councillor Parks Tau
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Finance and Economic Development
Issued by:
Virgil James
Communications Specialist
City of Joburg
011 407 7226
082 467 9415
