Ryan Bridge: I don't mind paying the train tax

I don't mind paying the train tax in Auckland, even though I won't be using it. 

Rates are going up 7.9% next year. Which let's be honest, is like Woolworths selling butter for $7.99. 

It's 8%. Wayne Brown is the 8% man. 

Mr Fix it is hitting us in the pocket, and it will hurt. 

An extra $320 for your average ratepayer. The average goes from $4,055 to $4,375. 

If we didn't have to subside the City Rail Link's operations, it'd be 0%. 

Now, usually, something like this would get me a bit angry. I'd be tempted to go tag the side of a locomotive in the middle of the night with a cartoon of Wayno saying some like "Let's F Auckland". Just remove the ix from his campaign slogan.

I don't generally use public transport because it's not convenient for me to do so. It's a timing and location issue, really. 

But if we don't subsidise the users, then it won't get used. If it doesn't get used, then roads will stay clogged. If roads stay clogged, that's time and money down the drain. 

If the thing does what it says on the label —and we haven't actually seen that yet because the bloody thing hasn't opened— it'll be worth the extra $300 a year to me via other gains. 

This might be naïve or a touch too hopeful, but if this thing works then I don't mind paying the train tax.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I don't mind paying. If I'm being honest with you,
completely honest with you, I don't mind paying the train
tax in Auckland, even though I won't be using the
damn thing. Rates are going up. If you didn't see
this yesterday, rates are going up seven point nine percent
next year. Now, let's be honest. It's like wool was
selling butt of for seven ninety nine. It's eight percent,
all right, We're talking about eight percent. Wayne Brown is

(00:20):
the eight percent man, Mister fix it is hitting us
in the pocket, and it will hurt an extra three
hundred and twenty dollars for your average rate payer. The
average rate goes from four thousand, fifty five to four thousand,
three hundred and seventy five. If you didn't have to
subsidize the city rail links operations, that would be zero,
a zero percent rate increase. Now, usually something like this

(00:44):
would get me angry. I would come in and I
would sort of get random, and my blood pressure would
go up, and I'd get a bit stressed. I'd be
tempted to go tag the side of a locomotive in
the middle of the night with a cartoon of Wayne Brown,
you know, saying something like let's f Auckland just take
off the IA from his campaign slogan. But I'm not
doing that. I'm calming myself down and remembering I don't

(01:07):
generally use public transport. It's just not convenient for me
to do so because of timing and location. We're basically
paying for a service for commuters for less than the
cost that it is to operate it. Right. But if
we don't do that, then it won't get used. And
if it doesn't get used, then the roads will stay

(01:27):
just as clogged as they are now. If the roads
stage just as clogged as they are now, then that's
time and money down the drain. And we've been talking
about the fact we need to do something about this. Well,
something has been done, so aren't we best to just
make use of it? If the thing does what it
says on the label. And we haven't actually seen that yet,
of course, because the bloody thing hasn't open, But if

(01:49):
that happens, it'll be worth the extra three hundred bucks
a year to me via other gains. This might be naive,
it might be a touch too hopeful for you this morning,
but if this thing works then I don't mind paying
the train tax. For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge,
listen live to News Talk Set B from five am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio