March 6, 2018
South Burnett Mayor Keith Campbell has ruled out a rate hike on South Burnett homes using solar power to feed electricity into the State’s power grid.
The rate hike would be in line with the Council’s policy of levying higher rates on properties used for energy production.
The Council already receives special rates from the Tarong Power Stations, and intends to levy higher rates on Boyneside farmers who are hosting turbines for the Coopers Gap Wind Farm.
The Council would also levy higher rates on a proposed solar farm near Kingaroy if the project goes ahead.
On Tuesday, Mayor Campbell said the reason household solar would not attract Council’s interest was tied to land usage.
Most of the farms at Boyneside have their rates assessed on the basis the land is being used for cattle grazing, he said.
But if parts of the farms were being turned over to industrial uses, then those parts would need to be assessed at a different rate.
The same applied to Tarong.
By contrast, household solar systems were primarily for domestic purposes and didn’t change the nature of land use, even if they did feed electricity into the state’s power grid.
But a proposed Kingaroy solar farm which would blanket a large cattle grazing block with solar panels would substantially alter the land’s use, he said, and would be levied accordingly.
- Related article: Council Tells Wind Farmers To Pay Up
