Iain

LEES-GALLOWAY

Associate Health Spokesperson
3 March 2014 MEDIA STATEMENT
Threats over booze sales costing ratepayers

The Taxpayers’ Union should launch a campaign to stop supermarkets wasting hundreds of thousands of ratepayers’ dollars on spurious legal challenges designed to subvert alcohol laws, says Labour’s Associate Health Spokesperson Iain Lees-Galloway.

“If an MP spending $550 to carry out one of the most basic functions of her job is worthy of Jordan Williams’ outrage then the threats of the supermarket duopoly to take every council in New Zealand that designs a local alcohol plan it doesn’t like to court should be too.

“Progressive Enterprises and Foodstuffs are using their deep pockets to bully local councils into going against the will of their own ratepayers. The law says councils can set the time they want alcohol sales to cease. If the community a council represents wants that time to be 9pm, that’s when it should be.

“Instead of wasting ratepayers’ money, retailers should instead focus on working with their local communities to reduce the harm caused by excessive alcohol consumption.

“These supermarkets are pushing the boundaries of new alcohol laws which were passed in response to deep public concern about the harmful impact of alcohol. Progressive and Foodstuffs would find more favour from their customers by working within the spirit of the law, not taking every possible step to subvert it.”

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