A resident has criticized a fee implemented by a council as “rubbish” after it announced it would charge homeowners who opt to receive rates notices by post rather than online.
Brisbane City Council announced last month it would introduce a $1.98 fee for issuing paper rates notices each quarter.
The council has encouraged taxpayers to register their emails and switch to digital billing, which requires no fee, and 40 per cent have already done so.
But the move has not sat well with everyone, and one furious local launched a petition, urging the council to scrap the fee.
“The Brisbane public was not consulted about this, and it is another clear example of politicians misleading the general public under the guise of saving the environment,” Ava Warren, who launched the report. requestwrote.
‘Once again, shifting responsibility to average households rather than large corporations.
“It also opens us up to potential security breaches, which is a valid concern based on previous data breaches (e.g. Optus, Medibank).”
The council said the fee was to “cover the additional costs involved in issuing physical rates notices” to property owners.
A Brisbane local has launched a petition after the council announced it would charge residents $1.98 to receive their rates notices by post.
‘Avoid the charge and switch to paperless billing and receive your rate notice by email to keep our city liveable and sustainable. By opting to receive free SMS reminders, you won’t forget when your bill is due,” it said on its website.
The petition was launched last Friday and has just 21 signatures out of a target of 25.
The City of Sydney and City of Melbourne councils offer postal and email notices, free of charge.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Brisbane City Council for comment.
