Where's The $10 Million?

ACT New Zealand Commerce Spokesman Deborah Coddington today asked why Commerce Minister Lianne Dalziel will not tell New Zealanders what's happening with the $10 million that the Building Industry Authority collected, by overcharging, and which is currently sitting in a slush fund.

"On April 28, I wrote to the Minister asking what the Ministry intends doing with this money. Will it be returned to the overcharged entities? Will it go into the consolidated fund?" Ms Coddington asked.

"Ms Dalziel today proclaimed that her Governmnet is "putting in place the means to improve local authorities' administration of building controls". What about putting in place some Government accountability? Ms Dalziel does not seem at all keen to tell us what will happen to this considerable amount of money which, Treasury documents released to me under the Official Information Act show, the BIA amassed by `overcharging through its cost-recovery fees'.

"Is this part of the money being squandered on Team New Zealand? Is it being splurged on buying votes from beneficiaries?

"Or will it be rightfully returned to all those New Zealanders who possibly paid too much for their building consents? I think we should be told," Miss Coddington said.

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