NASH HAS IT RIGHT ON RAIL

SATURDAY 31 OCTOBER 2015

The Taxpayers’ Union is supporting Napier MP Stuart Nash’s backing of a Public, Private Partnership taking operational control of the Napier Gisborne rail link. Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, says:

"Last week we criticised Mr Nash for apparently calling for more taxpayer money to be pumped into rail. Instead Mr Nash is backing a model where private investors, and not taxpayers, would take the risk on reopening the Napier-Gisbourne line. We got the wrong end of the stick and misunderstood the proposal Mr Nash is championing.”

“We had wrongly assumed that Mr Nash was taking the approach other regional MP’s too often do, where they call for more taxpayer money for KiwiRail to subsidise uneconomic lines. Here, Mr Nash has identified the benefits of why these risks are best left to the private sector to manage and we applaud him for working with the private sector to promote a win-win for the East Coast."

The cost of rail to taxpayers since it was renationalised in 2008 equals more than $12.2 billion dollars. That is equivalent to more than $2,700 per taxpayer or $6,900 per household - enough to buy a good, reliable second hand car. More information can be found here.

ENDS

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