Conservatives Battle Against Rates Rises

As Aucklanders brace themselves to receive increased rates bills in their letterboxes this week, Conservative Party leader Colin Craig says he is planning a fight against it.

“We are ready to fight for every Aucklander’s right to have a city that is local, and that they can afford,” he says.

Mr Craig’s team have been working behind the scenes on Super City Issues since the Super City's introduction.

"The treatment of Auckland ratepayers is outrageous," says Mr Craig, "and businesses are now being betrayed."

“John Key’s Super City is putting many businesses under unnecessary financial pressure. Businesses are now feeling the impact of the National Party’s obsession with bigger local government for Auckland, and some will now fail because of it,” Mr Craig says.

“All the political spin about the importance of Auckland being the engine room of the economy, and providing uplift for the rest of the country, is today being shown to be absolutely nothing but hot air,” says Mr Craig.

"Instead of being encouraged, businesses, along with other ratepayers, are simply being treated as the cheque book to fund bureaucratic excess and unnecessary regulation. Worse still are scheduled capital projects, that make no financial sense, and promise to plummet the city further into debt."

Mr Craig, who deals with over two thousand Auckland businesses through his commercial interests, says he knows he has support for his fight.

“I know I have the support of many business owners, and we are ready for the battle ahead,” he says.

The Super City started Mr Craig’s political career, when, as an unknown he put his name forward to become mayor, coming a very credible third place, well ahead of more well-known contenders, including then North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams.

“It’s all very well for the National Party to be saying that local government is a problem and out of control, but it is the National Party that have created the biggest local government monster that exists, and right now, other amalgamations are being secretly advanced around the country.

“The Conservative Party is not only a party that says they stand for limited government, but a party that will actually put it into practice, and we will be going into battle for Auckland businesses and ratepayers.”

ENDS

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