Sydney Airport Corporation accused of not paying $500k rates bill by Rockdale City Council IT'S the major Australian corporation which made $500 million last year, but Sydney Airport Corporation has been labelled a "pack of deadsh--s" by a local mayor for its refusal to settle a $500,000 rates bill. "I have mum-and-dad businesses paying more per square metre than the biggest corporation in Australia," Rockdale City Council Mayor Shane O'Brien said. What they are doing to us is what they do to everyone who uses the airport - fleecing us. Quite frankly I think they are a pack of deadshits. One of three councils whose area takes in the airport precinct, Rockdale City Council voted halfway through last year to make the airport pay the same amount as small businesses - increasing it from about $1.30 per sq m to $2.60 - but the airport is refusing to pay the full amount. Qantas hurt by tighter curfew at Sydney Airport Last July, Rockdale billed the airport $1.1 million for the 2012/13 financial year - but it has only paid $600,000, leaving a $500,000 debt. Sydney Airport countered by saying the council's move equated to a fee hike of 174 per cent, even though it does not offer it any services for the money paid. Because the airport land is owned by the Commonwealth, local government rates are not paid. However Sydney Airport Corporation has a legally enforceable contractual obligation under its lease to pay a rate equivalent payment to each of the three councils in whose area the airport is situated. The airport pays Botany Council $2.6 million including a "confidential contract" and pays Marrickville Council $838,256.40. Marrickville were getting $5.05 per sq m, Botany Bay were getting about $4.05 per sq m. We were getting $1.30 sq m," Mr O'Brien said. Second Sydney airport fight muddied by existing Sydney Airport report Sydney Airport last week was found to have made more than $500 million, and $65 million in parking - while not paying the ATO tax. A Sydney Airport spokeswoman said Sydney Airport had paid Rockdale City Council millions of dollars over the past decade, "despite the council providing no municipal services to the airport." "The airport is currently in discussions with RCC regarding these payments, which the council proposes to increase this year by an unprecedented 170 per cent," she said. Since the construction of the airport the residents of Botany Bay and St George have put up with the noise and traffic congestion," Mr O'Brien said. Now they are also putting up with a neighbour that doesn't appear to be a very good corporate citizen. Council documents said land values for businesses in the airport precinct are set at a much lower level by the Valuer General than values for businesses in Rockdale. The lease between SACL and the Commonwealth government requires that SACL must use all reasonable endeavours to enter into an agreement with the relevant council. SACL provided a draft agreement for consideration in January 2013 which merely restated SACL's position which is not accepted by Rockdale City Council, and has not advanced the discussion at all," a report to council said. Sydney Airport passenger projections contradict government report SACL's behaviour cannot be described as reasonable endeavours. A Sydney Airport spokeswoman said "it should be noted that Sydney Airport also provides hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants and sponsorships to community and sporting clubs, local schools and other organisations, a number of which provide benefits for people living in the RCC local government area." She said Sydney Airport had to do it's own road repairs, storm water infrastructure, landscaping, waste collection, recycling, internal road street lighting, road cleaning and maintenance, traffic management and street signage itself. "Of the 28,000 people who work at Sydney Airport, more than a third (nearly 10,000) people live in the St George/ Sutherland area, many of whom would live in the Rockdale," she said.