<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Victorian councils are getting together to launch an extraordinary legal move to block </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/victorian-taxpayers-to-cough-up-12-million-for-admin-on-controversial-levy/40fa0830-0b25-4020-b45c-70df8b494e39" rel="" target="" title="the Allan Government's new emergency services levy. "><span>the Allan Government's new emergency services levy.</span></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mayors from all over the state gathered in Melbourne today, saying the the tax will push many ratepayers to the brink.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They've been tasked with collecting the Allan's government's new multi-billion-dollar emergency services tax.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/intercontinental-stabbing-sydney-hotel-worker-allegedly-stabbed-by-colleague/c6bad76b-a066-45c6-881c-6d348b0e4fe8"><strong><span>Sydney hotel worker allegedly stabbed in the face with scissors by colleague</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's a responsibility they don't want, and now want to avoid.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Geelong is being forced to ask for an extra $20 million from its residents.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Councils cannot and do not want to collect this tax on behalf of the state government," Geelong Mayor Trent Sullivan said.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/melbourne-news-councils-protest-new-emergency-services-levy/0ba3a645-9318-493e-bc44-32237fde63c2" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We're having to change how we collect it, yearly quarterly and how our financial hardship policies improve.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Gippsland Latrobe council needs to grab an extra $5m.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/eastern-freeway-melbourne-crash/e67dd297-f6dd-46d7-8fa8-ba9c7fb303c3"><strong><span>One critical after horse float, car and truck collide in Melbourne</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"People can't afford to put food on the table, they're debating whether they have their kids go to school hungry or pay the bills," Deputy Mayor Sharon Gibson said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In Melbourne's City of Yarra the figure is $200,000</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We're essentially the debt collectors for Spring Street," Mayor Stephen Jolly, said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Councils like City of Yarra started issuing new rates notices 48 hours ago, and while the mayor is expecting an explosion of anger he says right now his hands tied</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We wanna stop this in any way we can. We can't do it on our own, we have to do it collectively," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-rose-bay-crash-allegedly-drunk-driver-crashes-rolls-royce-mercedes/f09200d7-8981-47d8-8ea6-109f4446be19" rel="" target="" title="'Drunk' woman, 23, allegedly crashes Rolls Royce into Mercedes in upmarket suburb"><strong><span>'Drunk' woman, 23, allegedly crashes Rolls Royce into Mercedes in upmarket suburb</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>If residents do not pay up councils are looking at their legal options to avoid having their own cash taken from them.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Councils will be obligated by the state government to follow up, but we're looking at measures how we cannot do that and what our legal obligations are," Sullivan said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>No Allan government ministers were available to respond to the councils' legal move.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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