Joyce Should Refund $1,248 Taxi Trip
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on Steven Joyce to refund to taxpayers the $1,248 taxi trip he charged to his ministerial credit card, as disclosed in the latest Ministerial expense returns released yesterday. Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, says:
“Ministers are supposed to be stewards of taxpayer money. Here, the Economic Development Minister kept a taxi running
for nine hours. No one in their right mind would do that with their own money.”
“To put this in perspective, it would have been cheaper for taxpayers had Mr Joyce flown his office intern to Australia
and got them to drive a rental.”
“Even CEOs of our largest companies would opt to save 90 percent of this cost and have a staff member call a cab a few
minutes before each meeting finishes.”
“Taxpayers wouldn’t waste their money on a taxi waiting in a carpark, why should they have to pay for Mr Joyce to do it?
He should pay it back."
ENDS