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Council wants Forestry Corp rates

A councillor on the New South Wales far south coast is calling for the Forestry Corporation of New South Wales to pay rates. Source: ABC News

The Forestry Corporation became a state-owned organisation at the beginning of this year.

The Bega Valley Shire Greens Councillor Keith Hughes said that means it should now be paying rates as other corporations do. He says figures show Forestry Corporation would pay a rates bill of almost $6.5m a year, benefiting all shires in the south east.

“If it was up to council, they would pay rates because council realises that because Forestry Corp don’t pay rates, everyone else’s rate bill is higher but it’s actually something that has to come from the State Government.

“They’re the ones who tell council what council can and can’t do and it’s the State Government provides this exemption,” Cr Hughes said.

He said other government-owned corporations have paid rates in the past.

“Australia Post and Commonwealth Bank when it was government-owned businesses.

“They used to be rate free but 20 or 30 years ago they started paying rates.

“The competitive neutrality people said if a government enterprise didn’t pay rates, it was getting an unfair advantage on private competitors,” Cr Hughes said.