Focus on the basics

THE idea of capping rates to the Consumer Price Index has had some press recently. I have been an advocate for quite some time.

Local government is too often subject to cost shifting of responsibilities from other levels of government.

For example, we have departments of the Environment at federal and state level, but many councils spend escalating proportions of their budgets on environmental initiatives.

Initiatives cost ratepayers and facilitates the building of capacity empires within local governments that, once in place, are virtually impossible to dismantle. A rates cap to the CPI would I believe, serve ratepayers well as councils would have really to focus on the basics.

LES ATKINS, Halls Head.