Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Qualified support for Rodney Hide's rates Bill


Gerry Brownlee MP National Party Local Government Spokesman

01 August 2003

Qualified support for Rodney Hide's rates Bill

The National Party is supporting ACT MP Rodney Hide's private members Bill to limit rates increases.

"We would support Mr Hide's initiative being sent to select committee for further consideration, but believe it requires further fine-tuning," says National Party Local Government spokesman Gerry Brownlee.

"The National Party believes out of control rates demands have reached a point where they now need to be discussed and considered by central Government.

"It's a timely opportunity to expose just how many new obligations and responsibilities the Labour Government has fobbed off on to local authorities.

"There's been an increasing tendency for central Government to devolve responsibility to our local councils, without handing over the cheque book as well," Mr Brownlee says.

"Rates are nothing less than a tax on property rights.

"And the situation is unlikely to get any better under the Local Government Act, which was rushed through Parliament just before Christmas.

"That new piece of legislation condemns Councils throughout New Zealand to a whole new raft of consultative obligations.

"The cost of these new responsibilities keeps mounting and that'll end up hitting ratepayers even harder in the future," Mr Brownlee says.

Ends

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.