THE controversial special rate levy continues to divide CBD traders. With legal action brewing, Lyttleton Terrace cafe owner Ryan Lynch said he was actively against the levy.Mr Lynch, who owns T’Hooft, said everything he knew about it was “corrupt”.“From what we’ve heard about it there is just a lot of in-house fighting,” he said.“I just don’t think we get anything for it.“If there was a specific festival organised that would bring money to this strip that is different.“But it’s a compulsory levy and we don’t know where the money goes. It’s a slush fund.”Camera House owner and Bendigo Traders Association vice-president Don Pape said the community needed to realise that the Bendigo Traders Association was mostly volunteers who wanted to do what was best for the city.“I’m very much in favour of it,” he said.“It was initially brought about to unite traders to compete with the Marketplace and to interact with each other.“It’s very essential I believe. I can’t see why there should be an exclusion.“It’s very easy to knock and criticise. Bendigo is a very conservative town and it can be hard to get things up. We’re only doing it to benefit everyone.”Abbott Arcade florist Karen Mansell said she welcomed the levy as long as it brought people to all parts of the CBD.“I’m all for it as long as it gets used widely.”The special rate levy was introduced four years ago to attract business to the CBD. Last month the council supported a proposal to declare the marketing and promotions special rate in the CBD. The reintroduction of the special rate is an initiative of the Bendigo Traders Association and is expected to raise $1.2 million over the next four years.Traders have pledged their support to take legal action against the special rate levy.Yesterday 35 traders signed up and Mitchell Street trader Harry Hart said more were likely to put their hand up.Mr Hart and Norm Quinn want traders to support legal proceedings to stop the levy having another four-year life span.Mr Hart said he had met with lawyers from Slater & Gordon and needed 100 traders to each pay $250 to get the ball rolling. Last week he said he needed their support by today.“We’re not asking for it up front, we just want a pledge,” he said.“If we get 50 people supporting we will go to council to talk.“We have 170 who have signed objections. The council can’t continue to take anecdotal evidence.“These are the hard facts.”Last week, mayor Rod Fyffe said that until a vote of traders was taken it would be premature to do anything.“I’d just ask everyone to be patient; we will be guided by the traders’ vote,” he said.Bendigo Traders Association spokesman Jock Clark said if the levy was unconstitutional the council would know about it.“People can vote for it or not vote for it, this is a democracy,” he said.