Pensioners who previously lived in their own home enjoyed the rebate
- Pensioner John Butters
VICTORIA Point pensioners have made a last-ditch plea to Redland City Council before next month’s budget asking for pensioner rebates for those leasing homes in retirement villages.
Salford Waters Retirement Estate pensioner John Butters, who leases a property at the Victoria Point centre, said a petition was signed by 400 seniors calling for the rebate to apply to leaseholders.
Mr Butters said the petition was organised by Salford Waters resident Ross Horton who gave the petition to Division 4 councillor Lance Hewlett.
Cr Hewlett said a report would be tabled in council once the calculations were completed.
The pensioners stepped up their campaign for the discount ahead of the July 14 council budget and prior to a sharp 14.6 per cent spike in land valuations, which takes effect after June 30.
Land valuations are the basis from which council starts calculating the rates for a property and are set by council under the Local Government Act at budget time.
"If the numbers stack up on the report that comes to council, I think it is only fair that the discount be extended to those pensioners living in retirement villages,” Cr Hewlett said.
“They are possibly prejudiced just because they are no longer living in a dwelling that's in their own name," he said.
Council said it was considering the petition and options for pensioner subsidies as it was drawing up its 2016-17 Budget.
It already provides a pensioner rates rebate to home owners but said it was committed to supporting the seniors community.
Mr Butters said it was unfair retirement village leaseholders were missing out on annual concessions and rebates of at least $250, which were granted to property-owning pensioners.
"Cleveland Gardens is the only retirement village in Redlands that is strata titled,” Mr Butters said.
“That means those property owners, who are pensioners, get the concession but others who lease their property miss out.
"Every other retirement village in Redland City, which is about 16, misses out because they are leasehold.
"It's unfair because pensioners who previously lived in their own home enjoyed the rebate of about $250 a year on their rates until they moved into a village."
Pensioners living in leasehold villages in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns and Toowoomba get the rebate.