Wangaratta exempted buildings from council taxes in 1957. The citys advancement in the two completed years after 1957 date can be seen.
Displayed are the building figures for the two years immediately before and after the change. The doubling of new house starts occured at a time of general recession for rural areas of Victoria, where the value of construction had fallen for the years 1956 and 1957. The doubling of the building constuction level in wangaratta, with exemption of buildings from local taxes resulted in there being, in 1958, £476,000 increased worth of activity spread throughout the local building industry, than could have been expected under the old system of taxing buildings.
| Year | Rating system | New houses | Value of building permits Pounds | Expected with NAV Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | SVR | 141 | 836 526 | 360 000 |
| 1957 | SVR | 127 | 682 024 | 380 000 |
| 1956 | NAV | 81 | 419 212 | |
| 1955 | NAV | 79 | 393 692 |
In 1970, 9th November, the Melbourne Age reported; "Wangaratta City Council has acquired more than 160 acres of good industrial land, into which runs a rail spur, as well as roads and underground drains. Rates are on site value providing substantial savings for industry."