Waste levy hike has nothing to do with the environment

Responding to the Government signalling it is likely to increase the waste levy, New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says:

“This is yet another regressive tax proposal from a government that campaigned on ‘no new taxes’.”

“An increased levy could have disastrous side effects. Sending waste to sealed landfills is good for the environment, compared to illegal waste dumping. More tax on landfill visits will only incentivise more people to dump waste illegally. Even the Ministry for the Environment website explains that the current $10 levy is kept low to discourage illegal dumping.”

“The environmental case doesn’t stack up. It’s more likely that the reason for a levy hike is to create revenue for territorial authorities and the ‘waste minimisation’ slush fund.”

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