NoMoreRates.com
THE nationwide CAMPAIGN TO REPLACE THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF COUNCIL RATES WITH A FAIRER SYSTEM INCLUDING RESTRAINTS ON COUNCILS ABILITY TO INCREASE EXPENDITURE WITHOUT THE SPECIFIC APPROVAL OF THE COMMUNITY
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29 November 2006

media release Statement from David Thornton – Founder/NoMoreRates.

Hubbard An Embarassment and Threat to Auckland Ratepayers.

Time for Him to Go.

Mayor Dick Hubbard is becoming a threat to ratepayers who may end up having to pay for his unthinking and unbalanced behaviour,

His own council voted against ratepayer contributions when it expressed a preference for a waterfront stadium.

Now he is demanding that regional ratepayers pay for the Eden Park upgrade – despite the fact that the ARC also voted against ratepayer contributions to any Rugby World Cup venue.

Hubbard claims that because the Auckland region gets $240 of economic benefit from Rugby World Cup 2011 then Auckland region ratepayers should pay up.

Hubbard overlooks the fact that the forecast economic impact on the whole country is $1.15 billion –of which $240 million represents additional Gross Domestic Product, and $262 million of direct additional expenditure, in Auckland.

This total of $502 million leaves $513 million of economic impact on the rest of the country.

With this even spread of economic impact it is entirely logical that the funding for the costs of staging RWC 2011 should be a central government responsibility – which could pay for it all out of the surplus income it has already dragged in by overtaxing taxpayers in the last few years.

[In fact it is estimated that central government will receive an additional $112 million in taxes from the hosting of RWC 2011].

There should not be any charge on ratepayers anywhere in the country – and there should be no need for any increased taxation.

The value of our homes should not dictate how much we pay for any event we did not authorise and the cost of which we were never consulted about.

Hubbard should be standing shoulder to shoulder with ARC chairman Mike Lee to defend ratepayers from this burden.

A real leader of Auckland would be giving that message to government rather than indulging in petulant squabbling about which group of ratepayers should pay.

And as for changes to the governance structure of Auckland, a real leader would be consulting his constituents before going into secret talks which could lead to central government directing how Auckland governs itself - without any input from the people who live and work and pay rates in this region.

We need leaders who will stand up to central government bully tactics.

Mr Hubbard should quit local government politics right now and save us all from any further embarrassment.

ENDS

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