The City of Cape Town has extended by the rates rebate deadline until 30 November 2009.

The rebate is offered to registered homeowners who have a total household income of R8 000 a month or less, and are aged 60 years or more, or are the recipients of a disability pension/grant.

Alderman Ian Neilson, Deputy Executive Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Finance, said that more than 19 000 people who met these requirements registered for this relief last year but, although an equivalent number had registered this year, he felt that there were other potential beneficiaries that the City would like to help, who had yet to register.

“To provide relief in the current economic climate, when increasingly people are facing the re-possession of essentials such as homes and vehicles, when rising prices of fuel, electricity and food are forcing all but the very rich to cut back on necessities, the City of Cape Town has implemented compassionate policies that will bring some measure of financial aid to those who need it most,” he said.

The City has therefore extended the deadline for applications from 31 October until 30 November.
The rebate, which is implemented on a sliding scale of 10% - 100%, was made available during June 2009.
"The City wants to register everyone who qualifies for the rates rebate, so that the relief measures we have put in place can restore their dignity and take away the increasing fear of impending poverty,” Neilson said.

"We call on community organisations to encourage potential candidates to register with the City," he said. Neilson pointed out, however, that everyone who qualifies for the rates rebate will have to re-register annually and prove that the circumstances which enabled them to benefit from the policy still apply.

“Anyone who turns 60 within the City’s financial year, which runs from July 2009 until June 2010 and to whom the other conditions such as income or disability apply, qualifies as a beneficiary of the rebate,” says Trevor Blake, Director: Revenue. “The rebate will however, be implemented on a pro-rata basis.”

Various rates rebates are also available to bona-fide farming operations, non-government organisations, public benefit organisations, religious organisations, health and welfare institutions, educational institutions, historical monuments, charitable institutions, sporting bodies, cultural institutions, youth development organisations and animal protection organisations.

For more information, call the City’s Call Centre on 0860 103 089 or visit your nearest municipal office. Click here for a list.