Rates & Utility Charges

How does Banana Shire Council calculate all the other rates and charges?

Rates and charges are determined at Council's Budget Meeting.  Minutes to this meeting will have resolutions to the respective charges that will be levied on Rate Notices.  Follow the link to the minutes for the 2021/2022 Budget Meeting.

Utility Charges

Sewer

Water

• an access charge for all properties, whether connected or not, to which Council is prepared to make a supply of reticulated water available; and
• a charge for each kilolitre of water used (consumption charge).

Please be advised that the sewer line, from the main connection, and the water line, after the water meter, is considered private pipeline and the owner is responsible for the operation and maintenance costs.

Garbage/Refuse

Separate Charges

Environmental Levy

State Emergency Management Levy

The State Emergency Management Levy is NOT a Banana Shire Council charge. Councils throughout Queensland collect and remit the State Emergency Management Levy on behalf of the State Government. 

This Levy is applied to all Queensland properties to ensure there is a sustainable funding base for the Fire and Emergency Services and recognises that all Queenslanders are at risk from a wide range of emergencies including floods, cyclones, storms as well as fire and accidents.

The amount of the charge varies according to whether the property is vacant or developed, and the type of such development.  Please contact Levy Management Unit regarding any questions or enquiries you have in relation to this Levy on 13 QGOV (13 74 68) or email QFESLevy@qfes.qld.gov.au

Special Charges

Rural Fire Brigade Levy

Discount

Council offers a 10% discount on eligible rates and charges if full payment is received by the due date. 

Please note, however - in order to take advantage of the discount Council offer for early payment – the full amount, including any rate arrears and interest must be paid on or before the due date.  Electronic payments processed after the nominated Payment Cut-off time on the due date by your financial institution or bill payment service will not be eligible to receive a discount.

Pensioner Rate Subsidy

Council and the State Government recognise the special needs of pensioners and offer a Pension Remission of rates to financially assist eligible pensioners. The remission encourages pensioners to be independent and live in their own home where possible, which Council believes provides a ‘quality of life’ benefit.

Council allows a Pensioner Rate Rebate for Pensioners who qualify under the State Government guidelines. Applicants approved for the Government Subsidy also receive the Council subsidy.

Pensioners who have already lodged an application will, under normal circumstances, not be required to apply again in the future years.

For new applications, Council can only apply the subsidy to the current six monthly rating period. No backdating of pensioner subsidy is authorised by the State Government.

Pensioner Eligibility Criteria

To be entitled to the State Government pensioner rates subsidy and a Council pensioner rate remission on your next rates bill you must adhere to the following:

1. Be the owner/s or life tenant/s(*) of the property (either solely or jointly);
2. The property must be your principal place of residence (**); 
3. Be the holder of a Queensland Pensioner Concession Card issued by Services Australia, or a Department of Veteran Affairs - Health Card (All Conditions within Australia) or DVA Health Card (Totally and  Permanently Incapacitated).

* A life tenancy can only be created by a valid will and is effective only after the death of the property owner, or by a Supreme or Family Court order.

**The address on your pension card must reflect the property address for which the rate concession is sought. Conditions apply for those who require full time professional care such as nursing homes, including:

• Property must not be rented and remains the financial responsibility of the property owner.
• A statutory declaration is required explaining the circumstances.
• Power of Attorney documents.

ACCEPTED

NOT ACCEPTED

The Queensland Government and Council offer eligible pensioners the following pensioner reductions on their Council property rates:

• State Government - a 20% reduction up to a maximum of $200 per year; and
• Banana Shire Council - a 20% reduction up to a maximum of $310 per year.

Find out more about Queensland Government property subsidies by visiting their property concessions page.

Set up Rates payments through Centrepay

Use Centrepay to arrange regular deductions from your Centrelink payment.  Simple call Centrelink.  The Centrepay Reference Number for Banana Shire Council is 555054023A.  Your account number will be the Payment Reference Number as shown on the front of your rate notice.

Further information on eligibility is available on the Department of Human Services website.

Methods of Payment

Note: If you are paying your rate notice/water consumption notice electronically using either BPay, telephone or online you will be required to enter a Biller Code as well as a reference number. Please ensure that you enter the correct numbers shown on the front of the rate notice.

It is strongly suggested that BPay and BPoint payments not be left until the last few days.  Electronic payments processed by your financial institution or bill payment service after the nominated payment cut-off time on the due date will not be eligible to receive discount.

Mail

Detach the bottom portion of the notice, make cheque/money order payable to Banana Shire Council marked "NOT NEGOTIABLE" and mail to The Chief Executive Officer, Banana Shire Council, PO Box 412, Biloela QLD 4715.

If mailing your remittance please allow sufficient time for your payment to reach the Council Office before the closing date. It is strongly suggested that payment is not left until the last few days, as Council does not accept responsibility for postal or unforseen delays.

In Person:

Present the rates notice intact with cash or cheque at:

• Council's Administration Office, 62 Valentine Plains Road, Biloela between the hours of 8.00am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday.
• Taroom Office, 18 Yaldwyn Street, Taroom between the hours of 8.00am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday.

Council will accept payment in person by Cash, Cheque, Money Order, Visa Card, Master Card and EFTPOS (no cash out).

Agency Payments

The rates notice may be paid by cash or cheque at any Australia Post Office or Australia Post Agency.

BPay

Contact your participating financial institution to make this payment from your cheque, savings or credit account. Please quote the Biller Code 7278 and the payment reference number shown on the front of the Rates Notice.  

BPay View

Register with your internet banker if you wish to use this option and receive your notices electronically.

BPoint

Visit Rates/Water Payment Online and follow the links to pay with MasterCard or Visa. Please quote Biller Code 7278 and the payment reference number shown on the front of the Rates Notice.

Pay by Phone

Call 1300 276 468 any time to pay with MasterCard or Visa. Please quote the Biller Code 7278 and the payment reference number on the front of the Rates Notice.

IMPORTANT NOTES

*Reminder options may differ between financial institutions.
^The process may vary slightly between financial institutions.
**Scheduled payments are subject to systems and funds availability.

Can I pay my rates in advance?

Yes, you can set up or make regular payments towards your rates via any of Council’s preferred payment options.  Pre-payment ensures that payment of your rates is made much easier by not being burdened with a lump sum payment. 

All payments received prior to the rates billing will appear on the notice as a balance brought forward and will be deducted off the total rates for that period.  However, please be aware that your water consumption charges will be dependent on the amount of water that you use. 

If you elect to pay all or part of your rates in advance, you are advised that it is your responsibility to ensure that an adequate amount has been paid to allow the prompt payment discount to be granted. Please contact Council's Rates section for up to date information on the balance of your pre-payments.

What can I do if I cannot pay by the Due Date?

If you are having difficulty in pay your rates by the due date, Council is prepared to accept reasonable arrangements for the settlement of rates.  This includes paying by instalments.  

Please submit a rates payment commitment application form or contact the Rates section on (07) 4992 9500 prior to the due date shown on your notice to ensure debt recovery action does not commence.

While your application is being processed, it is recommended that you commence paying whatever amount you are able to afford as it is important that you are showing a commitment to reducing the outstanding balance of your account.

Please note that interest will begin to accrue at the rate of 8.03%p.a. calculated daily on any amounts unpaid from the first day following the due date and discount will be forfeited.

Information on Financial Assistance

Financial help and advice for people who are struggling with finances, including information about budgeting and financial support.

Further information can be found at the following sites;

• https://www.qld.gov.au/community/losing-your-job-income/financial-assistance/
• https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/managing-your-money/managing-debts/financial-counselling
• http://www.australia.gov.au/information-and-services/benefits-and-payments/crisis-and-other-assistance
• https://www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/home-energy-emergency-assistance-scheme
• https://www.qld.gov.au/housing/buying-owning-home/mortgage-relief-loan

Interest

In accordance with section 133 of the Local Government Regulation 2012 interest charges will be applied to all overdue rates or charges. From 1 July 2021 Interest will accrue at a rate of 8.03% per annum, compounding daily. To avoid interest charges you must pay your rates in full by the due date.

Debt Recovery

Unpaid rates are considered overdue and recoverable by Council once the due date has passed.  As part of its Rates and Charges Collection Policy, Council reserves the right to refer the details of any ratepayers that have outstanding rates and charges to a debt collection agency to commence further debt recovery action.

If you are having difficulty making payments, it is important that you contact Council's Rates section to discuss your situation. We would prefer to work with you rather than have Council’s debt collection agency pursue the debt. Refer to the 'Paying your Rates' tab for more information.

Sale of Land

The Local Government Act 2009 and Local Government Regulation 2012 allow council to conduct sale of land for overdue rates and charges proceedings. The process that council undertakes is in accordance with the legislation.  

Where a property meets the below criteria, a report will be presented to council for consideration to proceed with sale.

• Properties with rates and charges outstanding for three (3) years or more;

Council may then resolve to issue a notice of intention to sell the property, to the registered owners, mortgagees and interested parties.

Should Council resolve to commence the sale of a property for the recovery of rates, only the full payment of outstanding rates and charges and any additional costs incurred by us to recover the monies, will prevent a public auction of the property.  Owners of the property have up until the date of auction to pay their outstanding rates and charges.

A list of properties will be advertised in accordance with legislation and will be made available on council’s website up until the day of the auction.

Updating your Postal Address

It is the ratepayers responsibility to ensure that Council has the correct mailing address for all notices. Property owners must notify Council each time their postal address changes to ensure records are up to date.  Council has no power to change an address of its own accord without receiving written advice from an owner to do so. 

You can notify Council of your change in address by completing the Change of Address Form on Council’s website or email (enquiries@banana.qld.gov.au).

 If you have changed your email address and are using eNotices log on to your account using your existing login details and update your email address.

Can I change my name or remove an owner from the rate notices?

This cannot be done through Council.  You will need to contact the Queensland Titles Office and lodge the necessary forms and payment.  Council will then be notified of the changes and be able to update our records accordingly.

Property Sales

When a property is sold within the region, Council receives details of new owners from the Department of Resources (DR). These details include a postal address for notices. If you want council to forward notices to another address, you must authorise the change in writing.

If you buy or sell your property just prior to Council issuing rates notice, Council may not have been notified of the sale before printing notices.  Therefore, if you receive a rate notice for a property you no longer own, please either forward the notice to the new owner or return it to council.

eNotices

Council can now send your rates notice/s direct to your inbox with eNotices.  Having an eNotices account allows you to:

• easily download, save and/or print notice copies at any time
• have your rates notices sent to multiple email addresses
• self-manage all your properties
• receive your notice faster than standard mail
• change the delivery method at any time (add additional emails, revert to post)

How do I register for eNotices?

Ratepayers wanting to register will need their eNotices reference number that appears on their most recent rates notice.  Sign up at banana.enotices.com.au/login

What do I do if I don’t receive my validation link when registering for eNotices?

Please check the junk folder in your email account. If you need further assistance please call Council’s Rates Section on (07)4992 9500.

I’ve signed up for eNotices but haven’t received my rates notice.

Unfortunately, some email accounts will send emails with attachments to your junk/spam folder.  Please check your junk folder in your email account and mark the sender as safe to receive further notices to your inbox.  If you still do not appear to have received your notice, please contact us on (07)4992 9500.

How do I register to receive electronic accounts for multiple properties?

If you have multiple properties with Banana Shire Council in the identical name and postal address, these properties will be automatically added to your account. If you have additional properties with Banana Shire Council that are sent to a different name or postal address, you can add this notice to your account by going to your profile page.

To action this, login into eNotices and click the profile tab in the top right corner of the dashboard page. Under the ‘Accounts’ tab, you will see a list of accounts that are active. Locate the eNotices Reference Number from the notice of the property you would like to add to your account and enter this in in the ‘Input eNotices Reference Number’ bar.

If you have any issues, please call (07)4992 9500 or email us at enquiries@banana.qld.gov.au to request notices be added to your account.

What do I do if I change my email address?

Login to your eNotices account using your existing login details and update your email address.

Can I change my delivery method?

Yes, you can do this via your eNotices account. Click on ‘Update my Details’ from the dashboard and click on ‘Notices’; use the drop down and select ‘email’ or ‘post’.

Note - selecting ‘post’, Council will deliver the rates notice to the current postal address on file. Please contact Council if you need to check your postal address on file.

What if there are multiple property owners?

If there are multiple owners or entities associated with the registered information, you agree that you are the person accepting these conditions on behalf of all owners or entities.

You can only utilise one email address to register. Once you have registered you can enter additional email address within your details so that each property owner may receive a copy of the rates notices.

I’m having trouble registering, I keep getting an error message: “Error! The eNotices reference number is invalid”.

The eNotices reference number is unique to your notice, and is located in the top right hand corner of your notice. It’s easy to locate with the eNotices ‘e’ symbol. The reference number displayed here will need to be entered in order to register for electronic delivery of that notice.  If you are still having problems utilising your eNotices reference number, please call Council on (07)4992 9500 or email enquiries@banana.qld.gov.au.

I am a new property owner what do I do to register?

You will need to wait until you receive either your first rates notice to receive your unique registration number to be able to register.

View our eNotices Frequently Asked Questions Flyer 

SMS Notifications

Frequently Asked Questions

When are rate notices issued?

Can I get my notices emailed? How do I get a copy of my rate notice?

How do I update my contact details?

Can I change my name or remove an owner from the rate notices?

Can I make pre-payments towards my rates?

I am a Pensioner am I eligible for a subsidy?

How do I receive a reminder to pay so I don’t miss discount?