199 days ago

Fuel tax hike will ‘penalise’ West Coast motorists

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:

A proposal to shift the road tax burden onto those who drive the furthest will really hit people living in provincial regions like the West Coast, the chair of its regional transport committee says.

West Coast Regional Transport Committee chairperson Peter Ewen said the West Coast needed to "front foot it" by banding together with similar regions to strongly submit against some of the proposed measures.

The Government is proposing to increase the fuel excise tax at the pump - ahead of further work to put all vehicles on an even footing by paying a road user charge instead.

This could see all vehicles - electric, petrol and diesel - being charged based on weight and distance travelled.

This approach could be "very significant" for the 650km long West Coast region, Ewen told council's Resource Management Committee this week.

Ewen said it could "unduly penalise" the West Coast and similar rural provincial regions which had no public transport, meaning people needed to drive long distances to access basic services like medical care.

The move to charge based on "use" would be disproportionate compared to the major urban centres, leaving the West Coast "at the vanguard" of user pays again for rural dwellers, the West Coast Regional councillor said.

"We have to make it very clear that one fit doesn't fit all … the talk of transport is all urban focused," he said.

Councillor Frank Dooley said the proposed changes seemed "really weak" on mitigations.

"I get really concerned when they talk about 'nature based solutions'."

Councillor Brett Cummings said it did put the issues back to the region "to come up with solutions".

At the same time the price of fuel and the impact on the region's industry "is really expensive".

"From my point of view I'd rather they take some of the tax off fuel for those that don't drive on the road."

He was referring to the likes of farming and mining machinery which pay road user charges through their fuel.

Councillor Peter Haddock, a member of the regional transport committee, said the idea was to ensure electric vehicles now paid for their road use.

He suggested Ewen and himself would be more than happy to advocate at a South Island level.

CEwen said the pressure was only going to get worse in the meantime with the country now reliant on imported refined fuel already exacerbating rural living costs.

"This is getting out of hand. We don't have any Marsden Point any more, and we're at the end of the queue, with rural communities even further back."

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More messages from your neighbours
4 days ago

Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.

When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?

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Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
  • 82.4% Yes
    82.4% Complete
  • 14.9% No
    14.9% Complete
  • 2.7% Other - I'll share below
    2.7% Complete
1611 votes
7 hours ago

Riddle Alert! Who’s Up for Some Brain-Busting Fun?

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

4-letter word, always done tomorrow,
We’re out of tea, the ultimate sorrow!
Without the eye, you owe me some money,
No sugar no nectar no sweetness no honey,
4-letter word, if by chance you choose,
You can never win, you can only lose!
What is the 4-letter word?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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2 days ago

Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.

John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!

As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!

John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.

Share your question below now ⬇️

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