Campaign On Rates Capping Bill A Success So Far

Statement from David Thornton who was in Parliament yesterday to witness the debate on Rodney Hide’s members Rating Cap Bill which seeks to limits council rate rises.

Ratepayers supporting the NoMoreRates.com campaign have achieved a substantial victory so far in the campaign to change our system of rates and to put a brake on bigger and bigger rate increases.

Late yesterday a Rating Cap Bill was introduced into Parliament for first reading which, if passed, would allow the Bill to go to select committee and be open for public submissions.

Support for this Bill has come from across the nation via the NoMoreRates.com campaign – thousands of whose supporters have bombarded MPs of all parties with emails demanding that Parliament agrees to send this Bill to select committee.

So far Labour, Greens and Progressive have said they will vote against the Bill, while National and Act will vote in favour. Late yesterday, in response to the NoMoreRates.com email campaign, both United Future and the Maori Party decided to support the Bill at first reading. This is a major success for this campaign and made the voting in Parliament 57 – 57.

All depended on NZ First – which at this stage says it will oppose the Bill, thus denying ratepayers throughout the country the opportunity to make their view on councils expenditure to the Parliament/.

Debate on the Bill will continue on August 30 and in the interim this campaign will bring all its guns to bear on NZ First and demand that they support the Bill at first reading.

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