Residential Property Tax
Whoever is occupying the property receives bills sent out at each financial year. You get to pay land tax if you are an owner of the house, and if you are a renter it is billed in your rent which is obvious. If you occupy the property for a portion of the year, you have to pay a portion of the tax. Usually, the annual bill sent out to a standard family home ranges between $1000 – $2000. It is also not rare for inhabitants to claim against their valuation to acquire a tax reduction.
The property taxes in Auckland are used to fund local services, including subsidies to public transport companies, lighting, maintenance and cleaning streets. This also includes the waste collection (except for some areas where an extra charge is levied), recycling collection and water for the locals; however, the water utility is charged separately in some cities like Auckland.
Even though Auckland residents have been protesting for the last few years against the water rates and charges. Although they recently got the water charges eliminated from their rates, they still weren’t decreased! Subsequently, Auckland’s inhabitants are paying roughly the same as before with the extra water charges (many households pay above $800 per year)