IPSWICH ratepayers will face an additional charge in the city’s 2025-2026 Budget, with the revenue earmarked for vital infrastructure projects.
Under the new measure, 99 per cent of property owners will contribute $55 through the levy, while the top 1 per cent – those with land valued above $900,000 – will pay a higher amount.
Ipswich City Council said the levy was a necessary step to address decades of underfunding from State and Federal Governments.
The city is facing a predicted infrastructure funding shortfall of $1 billion over the next 10 years.
“Under the Queensland Government’s own growth projections in its Shaping SEQ plan, Ipswich’s population is set to double by 2046,” Mayor Teresa Harding said.
“The money we do collect is not going as far, and infrastructure is costing more to construct and maintain than ever before.
“Our QTRIP funding is the second-lowest of all local governments in South East Queensland, with Ipswich receiving the equivalent of $25 per ratepayer out of a funding pool of $1000 per ratepayer for the region.”
Mayor Harding said that out of every dollar raised in taxation revenue in Australia, local government’s share was three cents.
“Residents need safe, accessible roads. They need fast, efficient public transport,” she said.
“Ipswich will be doing much of the heavy lifting to carry the population growth that South East Queensland is set to experience.
“Council is doing everything it can to accommodate the city’s new residents, but more funding and support is needed from other levels of government to provide the housing and critical infrastructure we need.”
Cr Harding said the State Government cap on what councils could charge developers would cause a billion-dollar infrastructure gap for Council over the next decade.
As a result, Ms Harding said Council had taken a difficult decision to introduce a ratepayer levy in the 2025-2026 Budget.
“The levy would raise $5.4 million in the 2025-2026 financial year, to be used to help fund delivery of strategic infrastructure projects across the growing city,” she said.
Ipswich City Council Finance and Governance Committee Chairperson Cr Paul Tully said the levy aimed to increase Council’s capacity to deliver infrastructure for growth.
“The levy won’t cover infrastructure projects on its own, but will be used strategically to supplement the infrastructure charges collected from development, as well as grants and other sources of funding,” he said.
“In the past 30 years, Council has introduced only two dedicated citywide levies – the Enviroplan levy in 1996 and the Rural Fire Separate Charge in 2020.
“It is important for the community’s confidence to be able to see what these funds will be spent for.
“Funds raised under this levy will be used to contribute to strategic infrastructure projects to help our community to grow, and will be reported on transparently.”
