Ratepayers carry cost of Government buck-passing
John Carter MP
National Party Local Government Spokesman
26 July 2006
Ratepayers carry cost of Government buck-passing
National Party Local Government spokesman John Carter has released a list of 67 laws passed by Labour that have had an impact, either directly or indirectly, on rates.
“More and more local councils are being forced to absorb the costs of Labour’s legislation. Councils have become pseudo tax collectors.
“Each and every year in office, Labour has passed around 10 laws that impose new costs on ratepayers.
“There are dozens of laws which Labour has passed without thinking about how they hurt ratepayers, especially those on fixed incomes,” says Mr Carter.
The list includes:
1 - The No. 1 culprit is
the RMA which Labour has amended nine times. The fine print
forces rural councils to supply top quality drinking water
to all properties. In other words, farm animals may get
better drinking water - but all ratepayers will have to pay
for it. There are also 14 air quality standards for
councils to regulate and administer under the RMA.
2 - Building Act 2004. Created massive costs and delays in the issuing of building consents. Many councils are struggling to attract (and retain) the numbers of staff required to process building consents and the staff they do have are being buried under a mountain of red tape - meaning additional delays and costs for ratepayers.
3 - Local Government Act 2002. Gave councils extra responsibilities in the areas of community and social wellbeing. These new requirements have created additional costs for all councils, and even Local Government New Zealand has said that they have not been matched by a corresponding increase in resources. An example of costs here are the audit requirements for LTCCPs, where councils have to pay auditors tens of thousands of ratepayers' dollars to check that they are consulting their communities. Many of the auditors were brought in from the UK to audit NZ communities they know nothing about.
Mr Carter says nanny state bureaucracy is tying our councils in costly red tape.
“It’s time local government started detailing for ratepayers precisely how many extra costs Labour’s lumbered them with,” says Mr Carter.
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2000
Animal Welfare Amendment
Act
Burial and Cremation Amendment Act
Hazardous
Substances and New Organisms Amendment Act
Housing
Restructuring (Income-Related Rents) Amendment Act
New
Zealand Public Health and Disability Act
2001
Animal
Welfare Amendment Act
Dog Control (Hearing Dogs)
Amendment Act
Land Transport (Road Safety Enforcement)
Amendment Act
Local Electoral Act
Local Government
(Elected Member Remuneration and Trading Enterprises)
Amendment Act
Local Government (Prohibition of Liquor in
Public Places) Amendment Act
Rating Powers (Special
Provision for Certain Rates for Educational Establishments)
Amendment Act
2002
Animal Welfare Amendment
Act
Civil Defence Emergency Management Act
Hazardous
Substances and New Organisms (Genetically Modified
Organisms) Amendment Act
Local Electoral Amendment
Act
Local Government Act
Local Government (Rating)
Act
Resource Management (Aquaculture Moratorium)
Amendment Act
Sale of Liquor Amendment
Act
Weathertight Homes Resolution Services
Act
2003
Burial and Cremation Amendment Act
Dog
Control Amendment Act
Gambling Act
Hazardous
Substances and New Organisms Amendment Act
Land Transport
Management Act
Land Transport (Unauthorised Street and
Drag Racing) Amendment Act
Local Government Official
Information and Meetings Amendment Act
Local Government
(Rating) Amendment Act
Prostitution Reform
Act
Reserves and Other Lands Disposal Act
Resource
Management Amendment Act
Smoke-free Environments
Amendment Act
2004
Aquaculture Reform (Repeals and
Transitional Provisions) Act
Building Act
Climate
Change Response Act
Dog Control Amendment
Act
Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (Transitional
Provisions and Controls) Amendment Act
Land Transport
Amendment Act
Land Transport Management Amendment
Act
Local Electoral Amendment Act
Local Government Act
1974 Amendment Act
Local Government Act 2002 Amendment
Act
Local Government (Auckland) Amendment Act
Local
Government Official Information and Meetings Amendment
Act
Local Government (Rating) Amendment Act
Resource
Management Amendment Act
Resource Management (Aquaculture
Moratorium Extension) Amendment Act
Resource Management
(Energy and Climate Change) Amendment Act
Resource
Management (Foreshore and Seabed) Amendment Act
Sale of
Liquor Amendment Act
2005
Animal Welfare Amendment
Act
Building Amendment Act
Gambling Amendment
Act
Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (Approvals and
Enforcement) Amendment Act
Land Transport Amendment
Act
Resource Management Amendment Act
Sale of Liquor
Amendment Act
2006
Land Transport Amendment Act
Dog
Control Amendment Act
Litter Amendment Act
Local
Electoral Amendment Act
Local Government Act 2002
Amendment Act
Local Government Act 1974 Amendment Act
Local Government (Rating) Amendment Act
Rates Rebate
Amendment Act
Land Transport Amendment Act (No
2)
ENDS