Auckland households will pay an average of $2500 in rates this year.
Auckland Council today announced a 2.5 percent general increase in rates for the year.
There will also be two new targeted taxes for stormwater upgrades and to tackle kauri dieback, costing residential ratepayers an average of $2.20 a week or $114 a year.
However, this will be largely offset by the scrapping of the interim transport levy this year, which costs the same amount.
Jo Holmes of Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance. Photo: Facebook
Council financial policy manager Andrew Duncan said targeted rates allowed the community to clearly see what additional expenditure was going on.
With an average Auckland property now worth $1.08 million, each household would pay on average $2506 under the new regime, he said.
Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance earlier criticised the introduction of new targeted rates.
Spokesperson Jo Holmes said if you factored in the regional fuel tax introduced earlier this month, the council had actually upped rates 6 percent this year.
She accused the council of employing "smoke and mirrors" tactics to try and avoid an unpopular rise in general rates.
"Here's [mayor] Phil Goff using every trick in the book to try and hide the fact that his rates rise is actually well over 6 percent.
"If you include the cost of the environmental tax and the stormwater tax and the fuel tax," Ms Holmes said.
Mr Duncan disputed this figure, pointing to the removal of the interim transport levy.
Aucklanders will get their rates bills in August.
