Drop Fuel Tax – Convert to Congestion Tolls

July 3 2019

Mayoral candidate Craig Lord wants to push for a removal of the Auckland fuel tax and replace it with a fairer form of congestion tax. He has witnessed first-hand how simply it works overseas and finds it strange that the technology is not used here.

“I’m still not convinced that we actually need the tax at all” states Lord, “we have been fed snippets of financial information that doesn’t fully add up. Of course the ideal would be to reduce the overall spending and therefore have no need to keep taking money from Auckland residents, but until each part of that puzzle is found and sorted, we should be looking into a better system than the current model of taxing fuel.”

Lord is unimpressed that you are taxed for mowing your lawns, operating your boat, or using any fuel that isn’t in a car.

“It isn’t a fair or logical system, it’s lazy and is hurting the residents. Tolling for congestion is much fairer and smarter.”

“If we do genuinely have to raise the extra income via vehicles then I prefer tolls. It can be controlled, turned on and off to suit peak times, rates can be set for different entities like the trades, taxis, commercial. It’s a genuine user pays system and it works.”

Lord understands there are cons to the proposal.

“People will try to trick the system, so there would be a need for penalties which ads administration to it – but I do not believe it would outweigh the pros. One massive part is that it would have the EV drivers fairly helping to pay for the roads they use.”

“We could put the electronics onto the harbour bridge, on the motorway, and on new roads like Penlink which should already be well underway – it’s a guarantee that everyone would be happy to pay a toll if it gets Penlink built.”

Lord’s intention is to do more research on the overseas models and if elected into office in October will make immediate contact with various cities to find the pros and cons, and then present his findings to Council.

-ENDS-

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