A National Government will not increase petrol taxes in its first term, offering a clear alternative to Labour’s 12 cents per litre tax hike which will only extend the cost-of-living crisis, National’s Transport spokesperson Simeon Brown says.

“At the checkout counter and the gas station, Kiwis are feeling the pinch of the rising cost of living. National understands that Kiwi households are doing it tough, so we are ruling out any increases to petrol tax in our first term.

“Despite the cost-of-living crisis already fleecing hardworking New Zealanders, Labour has committed to increasing petrol taxes by 12 cents per litre, adding salt to the financial wound and inflicting more pain at the pump for Kiwi motorists.

“Once GST is taken into account, Labour’s 12 cent per litre tax hike will cost a family filling up a 60 litre vehicle an additional $8 per tank. Labour’s decision to impose a 13 per cent increase in road user charges for the heavy trucks which transport food to supermarkets would add $26,000 to the cost of operating a truck every year.

“Labour claims that these petrol tax hikes are needed to fund the transport projects they’ve cut and pasted from National’s transport plan, however National will deliver the transport infrastructure that New Zealanders need without increasing petrol tax in our first term.

“There is no need for Labour’s petrol tax hikes. Rather than adopting National’s plan to harness innovative funding tools, Labour is burdening Kiwi motorists with more tax hikes to fund transport projects they’ve failed to deliver in the past six years.

“National’s comprehensive Transport for the Future plan will deliver 13 new Roads of National Significance and four major public transport projects up and down the country. Our plan is fully costed and won’t require the heavy burden of any petrol tax hikes in our first term.

“New Zealand cannot afford three years of a high taxing Labour, Greens, and Te Pati Māori coalition, which will unleash more pain at the pump for Kiwi motorists while the state of our transport infrastructure continues to worsen.

“National has a strong track record of delivering transport infrastructure for New Zealanders, and we know how to manage the economy. We will deliver the transport infrastructure that New Zealand needs to rebuild the economy and get it working for everybody, without hiking petrol taxes in our first term.”

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