MEDIA RELEASE

ROAD TOLLS RISK BEING COUNCIL CASH COW DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTING LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES

6 JUNE 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance says that the anticipated announcement this week by the Government giving the green light to road tolls in Auckland should be focused solely on managing demand and be revenue neutral for central and local government.

Jo Holmes, a spokesperson for the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance says, “Phil Goff was elected on a platform of cutting back wasteful spending and refocusing ratepayers’ money onto getting Auckland moving. Instead, Mr Goff has spent most of his time promoting new ways to dig deeper into Aucklanders’ pockets.”

“We are currently surveying our members on the issue, but in the interim, we support congestion charging based on a dynamic pricing model to manage demand, but not out and out tolls on existing roads.”

“Congestion charging is about managing demand, which is a good thing. Road tolls are about raising money, and Auckland Council should be cutting out wasteful spending before it digs deeper into our pockets.
“As shown in last week’s Council budget, the Council already has healthy revenue growth, but is reducing investment in transport infrastructure. That points to the Council’s ballooning operating costs as the real problem. Road tolls are likely to make that worse, not better.”

“Tolled motorways would disproportionally affect lower socioeconomic communities because they usually live on the outskirts of the City. That’s precisely why congestion charging with any extra revenue returned to communities in the form of lower rates and other Council charges, are better than tolls.”

ENDS

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