MANSFIELD Shire Council has drawn a firm line in the sand, unanimously voting to oppose a new state-imposed tax that could see ratepayers forking out millions in extra charges—while council itself is forced to play debt collector for the state government.

The new Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF), set to replace the Fire Services Property Levy (FSPL) from July 1, 2025, will significantly hike property taxes, particularly for farmers, whose bills could triple under the changes.

All ratepayers in Mansfield Shire will feel the sting, with an estimated $2 million in additional costs to be collected locally and sent straight to Spring Street.

When announced late last year, the state government said the fund will provide essential resources for emergency services, expanding support beyond fire services to include VICSES, Triple Zero Victoria, and other agencies.

The government also noted it would fund life-saving equipment, staff, training, and community recovery efforts, with concessions for pensioners, veterans, and single farm enterprises.

Emergency service volunteers will be exempt on their primary residence.

Mayor Cr Steve Rabie didn’t mince words about the potential impact on Mansfield Shire.

“Regional communities, such as ours, have a high proportion of primary producers,” he said.

“This tax transfers the burden of this cost to our community members.

“All of them, but especially to the primary producers.

“This increased tax is an excessive burden during the cost-of-living crisis, with implications for the economic health of the Mansfield Shire community.”

That burden won’t just fall on ratepayers—it will also hit council itself.

Under the new system, local councils must collect the tax on behalf of the state government.

For a shire like Mansfield, which already operates on a tight budget with a small team, that’s a potential administrative nightmare.

“It’s also unfair to local governments in regional areas,” said Cr Rabie.

“We are one of the smallest local governments in Victoria, with a small budget and small staff.

“With this tax, we’ll be asked to play tax collector for the state government.

“We’ll have to pay more than $2m in total in additional taxes to the state government.

“Then we have to collect this from our community.”

Council officers—already stretched—will now be on the frontline of public frustration.

“We’re the only level of government with a front desk,” added Cr Rabie.

“In a small council like ours, our customer service team and the staff we have to administrate our rates will have to answer to our community who will be surely questioning this unreasonable tax.”

Mansfield Shire isn’t alone in its concerns.

Regional Councils Victoria has slammed the tax, calling it deeply unfair to rural and regional areas that already struggle with higher costs and fewer services.

Cr Rabie reinforced that sentiment, making it clear Mansfield Shire would not take the new tax lying down.

“It is an excessive burden that is being asked by the state government of our community and of us,” he said.

“We estimate that it will cost more than $2m on top of rates.

“Council will have to pay that to the state government and then collect this from our ratepayers.

“We are very, very careful with how we spend ratepayers’ money.

“We have managed ratepayer funds carefully, delivering exceptional value for money in every decision we have made, all the while trying to keep the burden of tax as low as possible for our ratepayers.

“To now have to ask our community members to cough up this massive spike on top of rates is unreasonable.”

The biggest blow will land on farmers, who will bear the brunt of the increase.

But no one in the shire will escape it.

In a region already grappling with rising costs—from fuel to groceries to housing—this added financial pressure could be the tipping point for many.

Cr Rabie is calling on other local councils to stand together and push back, and he made one final point clear: this isn’t just about council coffers or administration headaches.

It’s about fairness.

“We’re asking other local councils to join us in asking the state government to reconsider this tax and how they apply it,” he said.

“It’s not fair to tax our primary producers who will be asked to carry the brunt of this tax.

“It’s not fair on our communities – these are hard times and raising a tax now, directly to households but also to those who put food on the table of those households – both of these factors will take a hit on family budgets.”