Scott Sledge, Kingscliff
Tweed Respect candidate
One of the current cunning crop of Tweed councillors has started to campaign to ‘keep rates low’. Sounds good, but why hasn’t Cr Polglase already done that?
He has been part of the team – sometimes as mayor – that has brought us massive rises in council rates and charges. Could it be that he thinks that ‘the voters are morons’ like his friend Cr Youngblutt?
What about a little respect for the longtime residents whose rates and taxes have paid for the infrastructure that we now enjoy? Why should they be asked to pay more for the new ‘developments’ that Cr Polglase wants to impose on us?
Why should people who have lived in the Tweed for many years be forced to sell their homes because they can no longer afford to pay the rates here?
We need some new people on council. Some fresh thinking. I suggest that longtime ratepayers be entitled to a rates discount based on the length of time they have paid rates. Something more equitable than the tokenistic fixed rates reduction currently allowed to aged pensioners.
For example, once a person – of any age – has paid rates for 10 years they could qualify for a rates discount. Maybe the discount could grow, say half a per cent more per year, to take into account what they have already paid for?
This is what you can expect from Respect: a fair go for existing Tweed residents and business.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
