Pensioner accuses Arandis council of overcharging

Arandis pensioner Berend Diergaardt has accused the Arandis Town Council of significantly overcharging and undercharging in terms of property tax and water bills, respectively, with errors spanning back to 2019.

Diergaardt’s analysis of his own bills has reportedly uncovered a series of discrepancies.

“I was shocked when the council erroneously taxed me N$789,11 instead of N$579,50, starting from November 2019. They made a mistake with the application of the relevant land and improvement tax percentages,” he says.

If left unaddressed, Diergaardt’s calculations show that the error would result in an overpayment of N$209,61 per month, leading to a total of N$12 576,60 over five years.

“Such income for the council, whether intentional or not, is not just unacceptable but also unethical,” Diergaardt said.

Meanwhile, Diergaardt also claims the Arandis Town Council has consistently undercharged him for water usage. Despite multiple attempts to address this issue with the institution, he has allegedly been met with inaction.

“The officials, including the chief executive officer and the mayor, agree with my calculations, but they do nothing to correct the situation. Sometimes, they blame the system programmer,” he said.

Diergaardt is pushing for transparency and a thorough investigation into the alleged mismanagement.

“The flawed calculation of simple amounts needs to be publicised. It’s crucial for the town’s sustainability to ensure accurate communication of its financial status to its residents,” he said.

Responding to the allegations, Arandis Town Council communications officer Irene Jacobs maintained that the possibility of an erroneous levy was “unlikely” unless there were technical issues with the operating system.

She said that all detected discrepancies are rectified immediately and before the final printing of customer invoices.

Jacobs also clarified that the council calculates all fees charged to clients based on the council’s gazetted tariffs and that rectification processes are in place for any errors in the billing process. Customers are also notified of any adjustments done on their accounts.

Jacobs defended the council’s charging practices for water usage.

“Pensioners’ accounts are billed on subsidised tariffs and are also exempted from basic charges,” she said.

She further noted that all local authorities’ revenue and expenditure estimates and audited financial statements are available for public perusal, dismissing the need for an independent audit or investigation to verify the accuracy of council’s billing system.