The FF Plus welcomes the confirmation by the Eastern Cape Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) that the new property valuation roll for the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro (NMBM) has been put on ice until 2022.
The FF Plus initially lodged an objection to the new property valuation roll with the Metro Council in light of the current economic climate and immense financial pressure on residents.
The previous property valuation roll of 2017 will now remain in effect until June 2022.
Based on the poor service delivery in NMBM, there seemed to be no correlation between the planned increase in assessment rates and an improvement in service delivery.
The Metro must now focus on collecting its outstanding debt, which can be attributed to the culture of non-payment that was caused by the ANC's ideology.
In the upcoming local government elections, residents of the NMBM can stand up and stand with the FF Plus to send a strong message that the decline of service delivery will not be tolerated and that money collected in the form of rates and taxes must be used to improve the areas where it is collected. At present, tax money is not handled in a systematic and earmarked manner.
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