"True devolution of power to citizens and their communities and an end to coercion against them" is how Libertarianz leader and Coromandel candidate Peter Cresswell proudly described the positive local government policy proposals in the Libertarianz submission on the Local Government Act review.

"Only Libertarianz proposes to cap and to significantly limit what local government can do, unlike the proposals that the Minister of Local Government has made, which most councils are slobbering anxiously at the chops in anticipation of" said Cresswell. "I encourage all spokesmen from the parliamentary parties - who have each been sent copies of our submission - to consider these constructive proposals and decide whether they truly believe in citizen and community empowerment, or whether they simply love bigger government!"

"I emphasise" Cresswell concluded "That our proposals are a first step, towards getting councils out of people's lives, shrinking them within three years to the core of parks, footpaths and roads. Ultimately, even those activities can be devolved to local communities and councils abolished permanently".

Libertarianz proposals include:

a.. An immediate and permanent cap on rates;
b.. Abolition of discriminatory higher general rates differentials;
c.. Elimination of targeted rates in favour of direct user charges to stop ratepayers paying for services they do not use;
d.. Immediate prohibition on all councils entering into any new commercial or non-commercial venture of any kind;
e.. Prohibition on additional council borrowing; f.. Requirement that all trading activities of councils (including roads) be transferred to Local Authority Trading Enterprises;
g.. End ratepayer funding for council commercial activities and their privatisation;
h.. Privatisation proceeds to be directed first to eliminating debt, then to offering shares/cash to ratepayers;
i.. Prohibition on councils making bylaws that interfere with individual freedoms and private property rights;
j.. Giving only ratepayers the right to vote in local body elections;
k.. Requirement that all councils when acting under their statutory obligations under the Resource Management Act, fully respect all private property rights; Reduce the number of councils by require councils with the highest rates to reduce rates to the level of the lowest rating neighbouring council and merge with that council;
l.. Infrastructure Auckland to be abolished, distributing over $2000 to every ratepayer in Auckland;
m.. Requirement that within three years, Councils to have privatised or eliminated as many activities as possible, including all commercial activities and ending involvement in art galleries and council housing.

The full text of the Libertarianz submission is available on-line at: http://www.libertarianz.org.nz/

It's enough to make you vote Libertarianz!

ENDS

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