“ACT has today launched a petition to scrap road taxes on marine fuel,” says ACT’s Transport spokesperson Simon Court.

“Kiwi boaties are currently paying 83 cents per litre in taxes, most of that revenue goes into the National Land Transport Fund. In Auckland it’s even more at 95 cents. The problem is most of this fund goes towards road and rail projects.

“ACT believes that Kiwi boaties deserve a fair go. They should have access to a simple web-based system to submit receipts and claim back the petrol tax used in boats, jet-skis and other watercraft.

“Unclaimed funds will be used to ensure all existing water-safety programmes continue to be funded.

“Currently around 0.1 percent of the $5 billion in road user charges goes to Maritime New Zealand. Maritime NZ then provides grants of approximately $880,000 to various councils, water sports organisations (such as Waka Ama and Paddle Boarding NZ). These grants are a token contribution compared with the petrol taxes paid by marine users.

“Other off-road users, including the commercial fishing, agriculture and construction sectors, are eligible for a refund, but recreational boaties miss out.

“We’re launching our petition at the Auckland boat show and we welcome all New Zealanders who believe in fairness in our tax system to sign our petition here.”

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