President Bev Butler said yesterday that "phase one" of the protest would involve a call to Dunedin ratepayers to cancel their direct debit arrangements with the council.
Earlier this week, she suggested ratepayers might be urged to delay their rate payments if the council decided, at a crucial meeting on February 9, to continue with plans to build a stadium in Awatea St.
However, Ms Butler said "phase two" of the group's action plan would be announced after the meeting and would depend on the meeting's outcome.
"It's just signalling to the councillors that . . . a vote for the stadium will be a vote for a rates revolt."
Of the 52,000 Dunedin ratepayers, 46.2% pay by direct credit.
The council's financial controller, Maree Clark, said yesterday cancellation of direct debit arrangements would have an impact on her department and on ratepayers, who would be taking responsibility for ensuring their rates payments were made on time.
"If we were having to chase up on defaults, we would have issues with resourcing because obviously we are [staffed] at a level that reflects the huge take up of direct debit."
Ms Butler described the proposed action as "passive resistance" and likened it to the successful protest against the poll tax introduced by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1989.
