BUSINESSES in the Berri Barmera district are being encouraged to apply for rate remissions after the local council received just four applications from commercial property owners.
Elected members passed a range of COVID-related financial support measures as part of budget deliberations earlier this year, including significant remissions for JobKeeper-eligible businesses in the district.
The council originally budgeted more than $160,000 for these remissions, but has only used $1300 so far due to a lack of applicants.
Berri Barmera Council chief executive officer Karyn Burton said she encouraged eligible business owners to contact the council and apply for support.
“If business owners want to contact our rates officer, they may be eligible for 50 per cent off their first instalment and 25 per cent off their second, which is a substantial saving,” she said.
“This remission is available to any business that was JobKeeper eligible, chose not to trade but would have been JobKeeper eligible.
We assumed we would be inundated because we didn’t know how the situation would unfold… but there are a lot of business out there that could still do with this support.
“We would encourage any of the businesses, particularly in food and hospitality, that were forced to shut down to lodge an application with our rates officer.”
The council has also waived or reduced more than $28,000 in fees and charges for community groups and businesses on council-owned premises, and provided almost $26,000 in rate remissions for ratepayers on fixed incomes such as pensioners and self-funded retirees.