2-3 minutes
The National Party wants the government to put off a four cent
petrol tax increase and the road user charges scheduled to begin in
July.
Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook
The opposition argued the charges should be deferred while the light rail project is delayed.
National leader Simon Bridges said given the unprecedented economic
situation resulting from Covid-19, the government should give motorists a
break rather than hitting them in the back pocket.
"The government introduced three years of annual tax increases to pay
for its beleaguered Auckland light rail pet project that has gone
absolutely nowhere since Jacinda Ardern promised it on the 2017 campaign
trail," he said.
He said if the government does not defer the petrol tax increase,
then it will be a clear signal that "Labour's plan to repay the massive
debt it's taking on is more tax".
However, the government said it will not be putting off this year's
petrol tax increase, despite calls to do so from the National Party.
Transport Minister Phil Twyford said the light rail project was about to go to Cabinet when Covid hit.
"While the government has been totally focused on fighting the virus
and didn't have the bandwidth earlier to consider the light rail
proposal, it is going to Cabinet shortly," he said.
He said cutting this year's petrol tax increase would mean massive
cuts to roading and public transport projects throughout the country.
"New Zealanders understand their petrol taxes pay for roads and
public transport, they want the government to get on with fixing their
neglected roads, easing congestion and building a modern and sustainable
transport network."
He noted the National government raised petrol excise six times and
that the current government has already announced it will not be raising
fuel tax next term.
Join Geezgo for free. Use Geezgo's end-to-end encrypted Chat with your Closenets (friends, relatives, colleague etc) in personalized ways.>>
Comments
Post a Comment