Landholders urged to check land valuations in wake of rises up to 301pc

He described valuations as a blunt tool, which councils then had to refine, and said ratepayers should look to the past for an indication of how the council was likely to work with the latest land values.

"There's a fear that these will lead to a proportional rate rise but that's not how our shire operates," he said.

"I am only one voice in the room when the budget is handed down but in the past we have based our budget on actual costs we need to cover.

"The base is formed on valuations but we adjust the numbers."

Cr Campbell pointed to a situation a number of years ago when there had been a ten-fold increase in land values in the south of the shire but not in the north.

"We didn't raise some rates and not others," he said. "The category is based on service provision and what people get for their rates."

The council had received representations from the department before the new valuations were released, which Cr Campbell said alluded to significant rises coming.

He said the shire rarely had many property sales for valuers to work with, but the news was not surprising, given the strong jump in the market from transactions over the past couple of years.

"It shows how strong the pastoral industry is," he said, adding that people with leasehold land also needed to be aware of increases in rental to be paid to the government as a result of the rise.

As Cloncurry and other north west Queensland shires digest the news of whopping rural land revaluations - 301 per cent in Mount Isa, 178pc in McKinlay, 168pc in Richmond, and 158pc in Flinders are others - landholders are being urged to check that the departmental estimate for their land is accurate.

As well as impacting what council rates will be levied, Opposition local government spokesperson Ann Leahy said it was also the basis for leasehold rental and land tax charges.

"If your valuation's not right, then your taxation's wrong too," she said.

"You must look at your relativity with the property sales used to make the calculation - roads, access and distance to town, services in comparison in different towns, your vegetation mapping compared to others - do they have PMAVs, do you have PMAVs, and is the vegetation categorised correctly."

Ms Leahy said that in the last round of revaluations, there were over 400 objections from the Maranoa region, many of which were because the vegetation management type wasn't correct.

She and AgForce's valuer John Moore both emphasised that responsibility for ensuring values were correct lay with landowners, not local governments.

"Unimproved values are done by mass appraisal, meaning your property isn't individually valued, so errors can occur," Mr Moore said.

"It's important you object to your new valuation if you believe the unimproved value is too high, because it could result in large savings in rates or rent."

ALSO MAKING NEWS:

There is also a possibility that increased rural property values will mean more landholders are likely to hit the $600,000 unimproved capital value threshold for land tax, depending on their structure, according to Ms Leahy.

"That means they'll get a letter saying, this is your land tax obligation," she said.

"If you are a primary producer you then have to apply for an exemption - you have to prove it, and it's not the simplest process.

"It's a hidden thing."

Notice of large valuation jumps, such as those faced by Mount Isa and Cloncurry, should come out earlier than they are, Ms Leahy said, to give councils enough time to do proper rates modelling.

"Just because you've had an increase in your valuation, doesn't necessarily mean that your rates will go up, because councils calculate the cents in the dollar from there, but if they only have two months before their budget, they need to have the time," she said. "It's fairly complex to put all that information together and see what you can do with your cents in the dollar."

Because the closing date for objections is May 16, AgForce CEO Michael Guerin said the time for landholders in the 24 relevant local government areas to speak up was now.

The shires involved are Balonne, Barcaldine, Blackall-Tambo, Brisbane, Burdekin, Cloncurry, Flinders, Gladstone, Gympie, Hinchinbrook, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Mackay, Maranoa, McKinlay, Mount Isa, Noosa, Richmond, Scenic Rim, Southern Downs, Tablelands, Weipa, and Western Downs.

The valuations reflect land values as at 1 October 2022, and are effective from 30 June 2023.

"You only have until May 16 to object, so I urge landowners to begin the process today," Mr Guerin said.

Landowners who disagree with their valuation and are able to provide supporting information can lodge their objection online or at the address shown at the top of their valuation notice.

People without internet access can call 1300 664 217 to request an objection kit.

Specific information on market movements in the 24 local government areas revalued in 2023 can be found on the land valuations website.