Rates are a tax on the value of your property. Rates provide around half of Council’s income and this money pays for new roads, stormwater systems, libraries, water pipes, parks and reserves and so on.
In the 2023/24 financial year it will cost the council approximately $447 million in operations to deliver the services the city needs. A further $407m is planned to be spent on capital.
Of the operational costs, $291 million is generated from rates which are collected from about 57,803 residential customers and 3,808 commercial customers. The capital costs (including new and renewed infrastructure) are funded from capital revenue such as development contributions and grants, as well as from borrowing.
Rates breakdown 2023/24
My rates newsletter (1.4mb pdf)
How rates are set
Rates are calculated using the property value and the use of the property, such as residential, commercial or rural. Council’s Annual Plan or Long Term Plan decides the work for the year ahead, how much this will cost and the total amount of rates that are needed to pay for it.
The value of your property is set by independent valuers, Opteon. Revaluations are done every three years. The most recent citywide revaluation was done on 1 July 2021 and will be used to calculate rates from 1 July 2023.
Where Council income comes from:
Council’s total income includes both operational income ($344m) and asset development revenue ($165m) for a total of $511m. This revenue comes from:
- rates 54% of income
- user fees - 12% of income
- development contributions - 7% of income
- government grants, subsidies, interest - 17% of income
- other revenue – 11% of income.
From 1 July 2022, Tauranga City Council will no longer be collecting rates on behalf of Bay of Plenty Regional Council. For more information about this change go to www.boprc.govt.nz/rates