Northern Ireland Fair Rates Campaign Petition

The Petition

We call on all the people of Northern Ireland to join us in our fight to restore a fair and balanced system of calculating domestic rates, based on the householder’s ability to pay.

The direct rule ministers insist that the vulnerable groups named above will be protected under the legislation as it is stands, but nothing could be further from the truth.

We call upon the Government to acknowledge that, in its current format, the rates reform:

• Is grossly unfair.
• Discriminates between the age groups.
• Is conditional in its relief schemes for vulnerable groups.
• Is a system which cannot and should not be used in a climate of spiralling house prices as homeowners’ pensions and salaries cannot rise at the same rate. Although it is assumed through capital valuation that this is the case.
• Does not acknowledge that those homeowners currently occupying the more expensive houses are at present paying rates well in excess of the 2006 average.

We are now extending the campaign to all of Northern Ireland’s 700,000 homeowners and would impress on those of you whose rates bill attracted only a slight increase, remained the same, or indeed reduced – don’t be fooled by this temporary concession, as house prices will probably continue to rise and if the current percentage increases are maintained, you will by 2010, be guaranteed a well above average hike in your domestic rates bill.

Add to this the proposed additional water and sewage charges and you will realise that the Northern Ireland Fair Rates Campaign really has set out to represent all our citizens by challenging the unfair rate charges levied against us by unaccountable direct rule ministers.

The Northern Ireland Fair Rates Campaign will use the signatures and emailed petitions collected over the coming months to mount a protest against the proposed rates reform and the exorbitant domestic rates bills it will generate from April 2007.

The campaign has collected thousands of signatures and these have been passed to the department.

The Minister, David Hanson, ignored these objections to the Rates (Amendment) (NI) Order, stating that there will be no changes to the legislation.

Even if your estimated rates bill is similar to previous bills, or even lower, there is no guarantee that this will continue. A further revaulation will be held in 2010 and if house prices continue to escalate your bill will increase, possibly dramatically.

Please send an email to:

with the following information:

1. Subject Line – please enter NI Fair Rates Campaign Petition in the subject line

2. Message – please copy or type the following into your message:
 

To the Northern Ireland Fair Rates Campaign
 
I hereby authorise the following details to be added to the Northern Ireland Fair Rates Campaign Petition.

Name:

Full postal address (inc. postcode):

Email address:

All details are compulsory to be registered as valid.

Your personal details and email address will be treated as confidential information and will not be made available to any outside party. However, if you wish to be added to our email list so as to receive campaign updates, please indicate this by typing in 'please email me campaign updates' at the bottom your message.

You will receive an autoreply confirming that your electronic petition has reached us and has been registered.

Click here to download NI Fair Rates Campaign Petition Forms

Please forward completed petitions to:

Northern Ireland Fair Rates Campaign
The Old Transport Museum
Witham Street
Belfast BT4 1HP

Members of the Fair Rates Campaign Group prior to the
Public Meeting held on September 12th at the City Church, Belfast
(Newsletter – See full story)