21 May 2004

Brash Telling ‘Porkies’

New Zealand First transport spokesperson, Peter Brown, says Don Brash is telling ‘porkies’ in his speech about roading and road funding.

“Mr Brash said that it was a National Government, which in 1998 moved 2.1 cents per litre of petrol tax revenue from the consolidated fund into the road fund,” said Mr Brown.

“The truth of the matter is that it was a New Zealand First/National Coalition which did that and it only occurred at the insistence of New Zealand First. It was coupled with a 2.1 cents increase at the pump, which I understand National insisted upon.

“Rt Hon Winston Peters was the Treasurer at the time and he not only ensured that it happened, it was always the intention of New Zealand First to move more excise tax into the roading account on a continuing basis – but without simultaneously increasing the price.

“For Mr Brash to claim that National was the instigator of such a move prompts one to ask ‘Why didn’t this occur in subsequent years’?

“I can quite categorically say from the debate that went on behind the scenes, National had no intention of giving anything back to the motorist, then or in the longer term.

“For Mr Brash to make such a claim puts a question mark over his integrity,” Mr Brown concluded.

ENDS

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