The problem with the road tolls is that it penalises the poor most. User pays roads would disproportionately impact those who aren’t wealthy so it’s no surprise National have gotten on board with this new idea to fund Auckland’s underfunded infrastructure because it’s not their voter base who’ll be hit hardest.
The solution to Auckland’s grotesque infrastructure underfunding is to allow new bonds or fresh funding from central Government. Auckland’s growth has traditionally been suffocated by Wellington and it continues today.
Key’s suggestion that we allow dodgy Chinese companies build our infrastructure isn’t reassuring. The example of poorly built Chinese trains that we had to deal with and dodgy concrete doesn’t suggest the Chinese option is a smart long term one.
Auckland needs help growing from National’s intentional property bubble, they should pay for the infrastructure.
That how our PM rolls he puts his ideas out there and waits to see how the public reacts. Chinese building Auckland infrastructure is another backdoor idea for bringing in cheap labour so is the TPPA. Big corporate companies and rich powerful countries will have a clause so they can bring their own cheap labour in under certain circumstances for example not enough construction workers. These backdoor practises have been going on since the pnats took office and will continue until we get rid of them and there ilk
Absolutely right M Gray,
Martyn,
There is only one redeeming factor of this U-Turn of National’s long rejection of road tax/tolls to build infrastructure here and that it will finally level the playing field between rail and road freight which has been steadily swinging away from rail subsidies and swinging in support of road freight when getting the subsidised road free access now raised in a report from the prestigious IPENZ in a long deep study of transport user costs.
In that report IPENZ shows that rail pays now 77% of their cost of rail maintenance, while us as passenger users pay 66% of the road maintenance, and road freight (Trucks pay 56% of their cost towards the road damages needing maintenance.
In a US Government study on road freight it fund that a single truck wars the road surface out 9600 times faster than one car!!!!!!
Quite happy to provide the evince for this but as you see the pendulum has swung to far in favour of the truck freight companies and polluters and road wreckers than is considered fair to any sane person.
This does support your call that “the poor” should not be hit and the rich be protected.
The trucking lobby groups pays one of the highest ‘donations’ to National party coffers.
Of course you could have differential tolling. X from 8.30-9.30 when the rich go to work (if they do) and X-Y at 6.00 – 7.30 when poorer people go (if they do). And more to get into the CBD and less into the industrial areas.
For several reasons that don’t have to be rehearsed here, we have to shift in favour of public transport and especially rail infrastructure. This move will assist poorer people disproportionately, even if richer people have less clogged roads. If the richer population are left on the motorways but then required to pay for the infrastructural development that benefit poorer people, that is on balance a good thing.
So a road toll tax will pay for Key’s tax cuts in 2017?
Probably not because as I heard it on Morning Report, it will take up to 10 years to get the whole system implemented and I doubt whether the Auckland nouveau speculateur rich would wait that long.
They want tax cuts now! Like now! You heard us, Mr Key, Now!!!!
New Chinese-made buses are not too flash either. They are fast, look good, are loaded with accessories and extras and promise a lot – but they break down all the time, the gears are dodgy and the interiors are poor – things like buttons and handles are always breaking or falling off and replacements are nearly impossible to get. You save money buying them in the short term but in the long term they will cost you more, especially when they get older and up in the ks.
The basic rule to remember is that if you buy cheap, you get cheap.
In case anyone thinks I am simply being anti-Chinese, well I am not. My partner is Chinese and she calls a lot of Chinese-made stuff rubbish herself.
If one were to substitute “jewish” whenever the word “chinese” appears in a lot of left leaning articles about Auckland’s various problems what would be the reaction.?
Do you think Chinese made goods are of good standards?
Would right wing leaning opinions agree that it is outrageous that the public of Auckland and others will be required to pay road toll taxes for the mistakes of this hard right wing government. The promotion of immigration and the overflow into Auckland has had huge impact on the increase of vehicles on Auckland motorways.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/78241308/43-000-more-cars-on-Aucklands-roads-leads-to-increased-congestion.
Your analogy of Jewish V Chinese makes no sense whatsoever but gave you a chance to have a dig at those of us with a social conscience.
100% BERT
If one was to replace the word Jewish with Chinese, then the gestapo like state control, that is the Key and the National government, would be complete.
Other than that, I don’t think we import Jewish products by the billions.
This country is SCREWED, certainly Auckland, the idiots running the show are as dim as the ones they are supposed to rule and administer, and look after. Nobody sees the elephant in the room, well, they are too scared to slow immigration, which is behind all the pressures we face, as that means, sending the economy into withdrawal mode.
So the cowardly Kiwis, I am sorry, that is the truth for too many of us, they are running shit scared, they may not even get it, so many of them, that they have been hood winked, conned, bull shitted and sold out, while they all thought, oh I am a millionaire now, can go shopping on the credit available against my equity in my luxury home.
I have seen this develop over so many years, people all selling the carpet from under their feet, their homes, to new immigrants and speculators, no worry, we move on, get a nice home in Queensland or perhaps in Perth. They do not care, there is NO patriotism here and no collective spirit, that is why the left is not getting anywhere, the only ones that need them and support them are the very powerful people that lack money and influence to make a difference in a capital adoring society.
So the only thing that would change things is revolution, but try get a Kiwi or new immigrant to be a revolutionary, you have a greater chance of turning a bush monkey into a dandy that flirts with the elite women in the upper quarters of high society.
A failed state this is, a totally failed society, full of ignorant ones at the top, who have no more answers, and they compete with talking nonsense, and as so many lack any insight and understanding of the complex things going on, the y get away with endless BS, more and more, and even get voted in, as Goff that other BS artist will in Auckland, for one term mayor.
This growth obsession is dangerous and idiotic, we cannot grow, we do not have the resources to sustain population growth here. Mega cities are a total failure, contrary to certain planners’ claims, look at the poverty and slums, e.g. places like Rio de Janeiro, now bankrupt, more or less before the hosting of the Olympics.
I despair with the left also falling for the growth mantra, what “growth” do you want? Do you simply shrug your shoulders, like the neoliberals, and say, hey they all want to come here, we cannot stop them?
China and other countries can pull the brakes, why is NZ so useless and powerless and does not control and manage growth? It is due to laissez faire BS, capitalism and that is the trappings even the left falls into, it seems, stop growth by numbers, grow in productivity and quality, and be sustainable, thank you.
Pretty true all that Mike but we may change government next year.
I agree with you Mike. It is too easy to plan and build bigger and bigger, reaching out into the rural land, urban sprawl becoming bigger urban sprawl. I remember when I was at school in the 70s, urban sprawl and lack of town planning was a Social Studies subject at school.
It was considered bad. Forty years later it has got a whole heap worse but strangely instead of being a PROBLEM, it has now become a SOLUTION.
How did this happen? Haven’t we learned a damned thing in 40 years?
Labour’s bandwagon jump onto the urban sprawl myth is very disappointing. I would have preferred them to say “instead of unplanned sprawl, let’s make sure the existing land we have now is used to better purpose. But I suppose they are so busy trying to be National-lite they sometimes forget they are Labour.
Some progress huh?
“Auckland’s growth has traditionally been suffocated by Wellington and it continues today.”
No.
Auckland has a housing and transport problem because of economic ideology. When you run a city on a purified neoliberal model for decades, as Auckland has done, you’re going to end up with a shitty city.
Actually, the Government has over-funded Auckland and under-funded satellite towns and the regions. Money has been wasted on stupid yachting events. Short-term tourism creates low-paid insecure work and perpetuates inequality. Add to that, the mayors Auckland has had have been useless pieces of shit.
“Auckland needs help growing”
No.
This is your problem, not your solution.
We’ve already got road tolls – it’s called ‘petrol being twice as fucking expensive as it is in Australia’.
No problem creating new road tolls eh Mr Key? Tell it like it is it it is taxing the poor again.
ROAD TAX. CAR TAX.
HANDS OFF TAXING INVESTORS IN HOUSING SO TAX ROADS INSTEAD.
How about taxing landbankers?
How about taxing those owning ghost houses?
How about banning investors from BUYING houses, make them build houses in stead?
How about taxing profit on housing investors – oops I forgot – I’ve had a look at the list of pecuniary interests of politicians.
How about taxing fuckwittery in the coalition? You’d make enough to cover New Zealand in roads, railways, cycleways, hoverways and personal droneways.
Spot on with this write-up, I actually suppose this website wants far more consideration. I’ll most likely be once more to read much more, thanks for that info.
Aucklanders are finding that being at the pointed end of ‘Green Socialism’ is rather painful.
I told you so!
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