John Carter MP
National Party Local Government Spokesman

17 July 2006

More hot air from Helen on rates

National Party Local Government spokesman John Carter says ratepayers should not be expected to “swallow more hot air from Helen Clark” on the “going nowhere review” of council funding.

“The biggest hold-up in this process has been at Internal Affairs, which did absolutely nothing while Mark Burton took months to sign off the terms of reference for the project.

“It was originally envisaged that the funding project would be done by December last year. This deadline has been continually pushed back ever since, and now we’re looking at September this year at the earliest.

“This is almost a year later than was originally planned.

“This is just more of the same tired rhetoric from a Labour Government that has become politically paralysed. How long do we have to hear that the issue of rates ‘is being looked at’ before the Government delivers on its long-awaited report?

“Besides, Helen Clark is only looking at half of the equation. If Labour was really serious about helping out struggling ratepayers it would have been more cautious with its approach to passing laws which lead to increased costs at local authority level.

“Labour has rubbed salt into open wounds with scores of new laws which are driving up rates across the country. It is rich hypocrisy after seven years for Helen Clark to claim she suddenly cares,” says Mr Carter.

ENDS

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