I can remember maybe five years ago when Byron Shire Council implemented a ‘one-off rates increase’ (probably not the exact words but that was certainly my understanding) to help fund something or other. Naively I thought that meant that the rates would increase for a year and then go back to normal. In my mind that’s what ‘one-off’ meant. Sadly, I was mistaken and rates actually increased from that ‘one-off rates increase’ to the point where I’m now wondering how long I can afford to keep my house.
In the last ten years my rates have gone from a bit under $2,100 a year to almost $4,000 a year. I wonder how much peoples’ wages have gone up in that time?
Now Council is proposing a ‘Special Rate Variation (SRV)’ of about 35 per cent over three years. That would take my $4,000 per year and make it more like $5,400 per year. Something’s gotta give.
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. 
