Taxpayers’ Union responds to Remuneration Authority statement
22 JANUARY 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
In response to a press release from the Remuneration Authority, New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says:

“This is a pathetic attempt by Fran Wilde and the Remuneration Authority to shirk responsibility. The Authority sets the parameters for council pay. They cannot then deny responsibility when councillors receive pay hikes that far outstrip those of ratepayers.”

“The 41% pay hike for West Coast Regional Councillors is the result of the Authority’s updated formula for council pay packets. The Authority admits that its formula fails to adjust for the number of councillors, and that this is the major reason for such massive pay hikes. So what do they think we’ve got wrong?”

“This is the same Authority that in 2018 falsely claimed councillors could not refuse a pay rise. As eventually acknowledged by the Chair, there is nothing to stop a councillor from instructing council officers to donate after-tax additional remuneration back to council funds.”

“The Remuneration Authority is one of the very few public agencies not accountable under freedom of information law. Chaired by a career politician, the Authority’s formulas and methodology are secret. No wonder they hate scrutiny.”

“While ratepayers struggle with rate hikes many times the level of wage growth, we certainly look forward to taking up the opportunity to meet with the Authority so they can explain how these cumulative annual pay hikes are justified.”

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