"Another tax" – Taxpayers' Union demands clarity on Congestion Charging, equivalent RUCs to be cut

The Land Transport Management (Time of Use Charging) Amendment Bill has drawn criticism from several Tauranga Councillors, objecting that revenue could be invested elsewhere.

Sam Warren, Local Government Campaigns Manager for the Taxpayers’ Union, said:

“Tauranga City Council is hardly a bastion of fiscal leadership—so when even they are blowing the whistle, you know something is wrong.”

“The promise was for this to be revenue neutral, to reduce congestion and improve efficiency. But if the funds can be spent elsewhere, we’ll call it what it is—another tax.”

"Key to this is for an equivalent cut to Road User Charges to ensure revenue neutrality can be sustained."

“The right parameters need to be in place so the scheme can be measured. If it's found that congestion targets aren't met, it’s essential the charges are scrapped.

"We demand clarity from the Minister that this will be the case, and not just another handbrake placed on locals."