Monday, 25 February 2013

Council to Consult on Additional Taxes

The Auckland Plan Committee of the Auckland Council approved that planned additional taxes for Aucklanders should go out to the public for consultation.

Councillor Dick Quax voted against the proposed “betterment tax” which will effectively be a tax on any infrastructure or action that the Auckland Council take to “improve or rezone an area”.

“Even though Council officials tried to put this in the best possible light it is unclear exactly how Council will determine what effect in dollar terms actions taken by council will have improved an area” , says Cr Quax.

“In practice this will mean more Council officials working to make decisions on values which will undoubtedly be a contentious, leading to more litigation and further expenses to the already overburdened ratepayer.”

“Apart from rates Council is now considering a raft of funding mechanisms including, tolling new and existing roads, congestion charging, regional fuel taxes, visitor taxes, airport departure taxes and inclusionary zoning which is a ratepayer subsidy for affordable housing.”

“Not only are we planning on taxing Aucklanders more we are also borrowing at a rate of $3 million a day.”

Rather than looking at how we can spend more of other people’s money Council needs to rein in its spending, says Cr Quax.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On The 2013 Budget

Among Thursday’s main talking points:

We are apparently on track for a margin-of-error $75 million surplus, now in sight for 2014/15. But this sickly creature is hobbling out of the lab on the basis of all kinds of facilitative conjuring: such as trimming by $200 million the amount of new spending next time around.

With this strictly nominal surplus in sight, the 1984-ish justification for eternal austerity will have a news talisman: namely, getting Crown debt down to 20% of GDP by 2020. More>>

Budget Report, Lockup Audio & Images: Budget Day 2013 As always and especially after the managerial mishaps of the past few weeks and months, (e.g. Aaron Gilmore, the Mighty River Power share float, the GCSB mishaps) Budget Day 2013 was always going to be a pageant of reassurance... More>>

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Auckland Discord: Govt’s Power Hungry Housing Approach A Threat - Labour

Last week the Government said this, ‘The Government commits not to use any proposed or existing powers ... to override the council's planning and consenting processes’. But its housing Bill says this; ‘If an accord cannot be reached in an area of severe housing unaffordability, the Government can intervene by establishing special housing areas and issuing consents for developers’. More>>

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The Government is trying to pass legislation under urgency which would make the Anadarko Amendment – which limits protest at sea – apply to an additional 1.7 million square kilometres, the Green Party said today. More>>

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• 2010 image via: Pacific.Scoop - Media watcher gives NZ press nil score card for China oil spill coverage