Council Recovers $1.5m Unpaid Rates, Arrears

The Labasa Town Council has recovered around $1.5 million in unpaid rates and arrears that were outstanding for the past years.

A total of $2.3 million was owed by ratepayers and business tenants. The council introduced several initiatives that significantly contributed to the recovery of these funds.

Council special administrators chairperson, Paul Jaduram, said the collection was made from August 2023 to July 2024 with only $800,000 remaining.

Chairperson Paul Jaduram, leading the council’s special administrators, reported the collection was made between August 2023 and July 2024, leaving $800,000 out-standing.

He said only when the council’s finances were stable could services be enhanced to meet the demands of ratepayers.

The pending ratepayers, we are making arrangements firstly with the larger ones to pay individually, working with the council to accommodate their schedules, he said.

Labasa Town Council special administrator chairperson, Paul Jaduram. Photos: Sampras Anand

Interest waivers on arrears owed are also being considered to further assist ratepayers in clearing their dues.

The council has initiated efforts with the coordination of the Ministry of Local Government to waiver interest for defaulters.

We requested the ministry to waiver a certain percentage of interest accumulated on arrears, he said.

He remains optimistic that the waiver will encourage other defaulters to step up and pay. The council also implemented door-to-door visits where defaulters were advised on their payment options.

Mr Jaduram added that for those residing overseas and frequent defaulters, legal measures would be taken to address their obligations.

This is not just a problem faced in Labasa only but across the country, and the arrears owed stood at a staggering $79 million, he said.

For an expanding township like Labasa, timely rate collection remains a priority to ensure the best services are offered for residents and visitors with positive developments.

Market fee arrears down to $5K

Another major revelation the administrator said was the reduction in market stall fees arrears from $17,000 to $5000.

Mr Jaduram said their increased awareness of the importance of clearing market stall fees has led to improvements in ensuring the sustainability of market services.

I want to thank those vendors who realised their responsibility to clear their dues to council, he said.

There are close to 900 permanent and about 400 casual vendors.

Feedback:  sampras.anand@fijisun.com.fj