The Land Transport Management (Time of Use Charging)
Amendment Bill has
drawn criticism from several Tauranga Councillors,
objecting that revenue could be invested
elsewhere.
Sam Warren, Local Government
Campaigns Manager for the Taxpayers’ Union,
said:“Tauranga City Council is hardly a bastion of
fiscal leadership—so when even they are blowing the
whistle, you know something is
wrong.”
“The promise was for this to
be revenue neutral, to reduce congestion and improve
efficiency. But if the funds can be spent elsewhere, we’ll
call it what it is—another tax.”
“Key to this is
for an equivalent cut to Road User Charges to ensure revenue
neutrality can be sustained.”
“The right parameters
need to be in place so the scheme can be measured. If it’s
found that congestion targets aren’t met, it’s essential
the charges are scrapped.
“We demand clarity from the
Minister that this will be the case, and not just another
handbrake placed on
locals.”
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