MOSSEL BAY NEWS - At the special council meeting on Friday, 29 March, councillors not only discussed the proposed increases in municipal tariffs and taxes, but also considered measures to alleviate the plight of the poor.
Subsidies and rebates to assist the poor and indigent residents in the community were included in the draft budget to council.
The subsidy to indigent households has been increased from R636.72 to R669.70.
The subsidy to poor households has been increased from R318.36 to R337.84.
Household income
The automatic classification of a household with a property valuation of less than R81 000 will fall away as from November 2019 for the 2019/20 financial year.
Household income, instead, will be the determining factor to qualify for subsidies. This approach is said to be more fair and more in line with the national guidelines.
To address the plight of backyard dwellers, a definition for "dwellings" has been included in the municipal policy. "This will, for the first time, make it possible for backyard dwellers to apply for separate connections for municipal services," the acting mayor, Councillor Dirk Kotzé said. In addition, to improve the living conditions of households with special needs, additional definitions were added for households with disabled persons.
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