[Andrew Butcher]

Hi Dajana

Yes, that is correct, we generate a rates and charges notice without rates. It helps to track for waste reporting and debt management.

Regards,
Andrew

[Andrew Butcher]

Hi Dajana

I am responding to this fairly quickly as I was just on the website when it came in. Also, I moved it to the Domestic Waste chat for you.

We use Pathway that allows us to raise charges against the parent strata assessment. The parent is not a rateable parcel but the Act does permit charges to be raised if the owner provides in writing a request to be charged, ‘council may make an annual charge for the provision of a domestic waste management service for a parcel of land that is exempt from rating if, the owner of that land requests or agrees to the provision of the service to that land,’. The request must be in writing.

We only provide additional organics services, otherwise each unit is levied an annual charge for waste and recycling, if they have a single large bin we still charge each unit.

Hope this is helpful.

Regards,
Andrew

• This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by Andrew Butcher.

[Andrew Butcher]

The Manual has been updated on the Revenue NSW SharePoint site and also in this forum chat.

Thanks Cherie for pointing this out and appreciate your kind words.

Here is the updated manual: Preliminary Land Classification Manual Oct 2024 (1)

Regards,
Andrew

[Andrew Butcher]

Hi Cherie

Good pick-up, I don’t know how we missed this but can assure you it is not the intention.

I have reached out to Revenue NSW to make an amendment.

All boarding houses, no matter who the owner operator will need to be identifies under the specified use.

Regards,
Andrew

[Andrew Butcher]

The Pathway users assistance to allow matching of VG PID’s to council data will be provided on Tuesday next week.

Pathway users ESF land classification suggested process v4

[Andrew Butcher]

Revenue NSW is forwarding the Managed File Transfer (MFT) registration out from today, your council should receive an onboarding request soon.

The MFT will only contain your VG data file, the GM letter will be loaded next week.

Regards,
Andrew

[Andrew Butcher]

The Manual is now available to help you with land classifications.

Revenue NSW has advised that your VG data file will be sent by email to your council today.

Please remember that there are two steps in this process;

STEP 1: match all PID’s with your rates data base.

STEP 2: classify all data in that file using the manual to guide you.

Regards,

Andrew

Preliminary Land Classification Manual Oct 2024

[Andrew Butcher]

Hi Dave

No worries, not taking this personally but there a number of us that have taken a lot of our own time to prepare and support our colleagues with what the government has mandated through legislation. The forum has been created to improve and elevate the general knowledge of rating and revenue raising functions.

I feel your frustration and on behalf of the sector we are working on solutions to help councils work through the steps to get to the classification file. And have also spent a lot of time collaborating with the government to reduce the impost on councils through negotiations on the data requirement in the Manual. It could have been much more difficult.

We have also found many links to data sources that the government agreed to include in the Manual to help find the classification information in your area.

Also, we have been in contact with the three main software vendors (Tech1, Pathway and Authority) and will continue to seek any assistance from them in providing support, at this stage the process does not need vendor intervention at a council level. There are three highly skilled Tech1 software users on the workgroup who have spent many personal hours working on a solution, they have also been in touch with the vendor.

The council representatives have all agreed that the best solution is to conduct all processes in the data files provided by Revenue NSW. To be clear, this will require system interrogation and extraction of data so matching can be conducted within the excel spread sheet. Accordingly, the VG data will require PID matching as step one, step two will require classification data to be stored against the VG data file and this will form the basis of your return file.

We have tested some suggested processes and the Tech1 support council completed 95% within 2-days using desktop analysis.

Agreed on the time it has taken and the short turnaround, however you need to remember that the data is based on your best efforts to complete classifications. LGNSW will be taking this short turn-around up with the Treasurer however formal extensions have not been negotiated at this stage.

I hope this finds you well and has helped with your concerns at this stage.

Regards,
Andrew

[Andrew Butcher]

FYI the VG data file (when supplied) will represent all Property ID’s (PIDS) for your council as at the first week of October 2024.

Accordingly, any supps received prior to early October that remain unprocessed will not have matching PIDS in your council data. Conversely, if your supps are bang up to date you should have no issues.

Importantly, you only need to process a land classification return for the PID’s supplied in the VG data file – you do not need to add any additional supps to the data file.

Revenue NSW has advised that the Manual will be available this week and will be making every effort to get you the VG data file as soon as possible.

You will need the VG data file before you can start matching PID’s and you will need the Manual before you can then start classifying properties.

Regards,
Andrew

[Andrew Butcher]

Hi everyone

Have been aware of the VG removing valuations that are not required for rating purposes for a while now. Valuations required for ex-gratia rates are now made under Section 9A of the Valuation of Land Act and if you require replacement values I believe you can still request them.

I have asked the Secretary to include this item on the next RP Executive Committee agenda for discussion with the Valuer-General.

Hope this is helpful, let me know if you need any further assistance.

Regards,
Andrew

[Andrew Butcher]

Hi David

We are working with Revenue NSW and Treasury to make this as easy as possible for councils, there are fine provisions built into the legislation if you do not meet the classification legislation.

We have been advised that the Manual will be made available this week to assist you with classifications.

Regards,
Andrew

• This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by Andrew Butcher.

[Andrew Butcher]

Hi Kim

I have reached out directly on your behalf and asked someone from Revenue NSW to contact you.

Regards,
Andrew

[Andrew Butcher]

Hi Kim

Is your post in relation to the GM signing off agreeing that council will undertake the ESF classifications? If so then this document will be included in a portal specific to each council for downloading.

Revenue NSW advised the workgroup yesterday that each council will be sent an email for one person to register on their Managed File Transfer (MFT) portal. In the MFT will be the letter, the VG data file and the council classification (return) data file for downloading. Once the letter is signed it will need to be uploaded through the MFT portal and council will be paid, followed by your completed classification file (by 2 December).

Revenue NSW also advised yesterday that the MFT and Preliminary Classification Manual will be made available next week. NSWRP, LGNSW and the OLG raised concerns (again) around the timing.

Hope this all makes sense let me know (or anyone else) in the forum, so everyone sees the response.

Regards,
Andrew

[Andrew Butcher]

The IPART has released its call for submissions into the pricing for land valuation services provided by the NSW Valuer General.

Call-for-submissions-paper-Review-of-prices-for-the-Valuer-General-land-valuation-services-to-councils-8-October-2024

Could you please provide any items by reply in this forum to support our NSWRP submission.

Thank you.

Regards,
Andrew

[Andrew Butcher]

Hi Lyndal

We try to run our verification twice a year, once in October prior to extracting the November instalment print data and the second in June, prior to the rates and charges notice print data.

The OLG says in the Rating and Revenue Raising Manual – Councils should confirm the eligibility of pensioners with Centrelink as to the actual date of service of the annual rates and charges notice. The council may conduct the check against the Centrelink files etc. at a time prior to the effective date for determining eligibility under the Act. Some councils do this in order to informally advise applicants that their application appears to generally meet the eligibility criteria.

The AO has been making noises during our audit, they have signed off our claim without issue, but I suspect there will be something in their management letter as we only did one full verification during 2023-24. There were around 250 pensioners that did not verify, most of them had a reason and on re-application they confirmed eligible.

Please let me know the outcome of the audit, and if others are having similar issues.

Regards,
Andrew

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