The Government's pushing ahead with plans to triple the tourism tax in a bid to make overseas visitors pay for regional infrastructure upkeep.
The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy will go from the current $35 to $100 per visit from next month.
ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper theorises why the Government has implemented these changes.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Very so sing your political correspondence with us Barry.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Hello, good afternoon, Heather.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hiking the tourism levy is clearly just a money grab
to make the books balance a little bit better.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Right, Well, it's incredible, isn't it. Well it shouldn't be,
because the levee goes towards they tell us, maintaining public
services are utilized by tourists, and you know conservation.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
What the trade of giving dock more money?
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Yes, yes, so essentially those at the pit face of
tourism in this country. The chief executive of the tourism
industry said that modeling had found the increase could result
in forty eight thousand fewer tourists coming to this country.
(00:43):
The board, the airline Board of Representatives, they say that
tourism basically is soft in this country and we're lagging
behind the Asia Pacific region. So it's all about I
understand like you here, they said, you're editorial. I understand
the levy going up because I think tourists should be
paying a bit more, although I did look at some
(01:04):
countries overseas. If you take the UK, for example, the
levy to enter the UK is ten pound and that
lasts for two years. If you come back, you don't
have to pay it again, and ours is one hundred.
And don't forget that we're have a departure tax as
well from this country, so you pay for the privilege
of leaving the country that's been on the box for
a long time. That's only twenty five bucks. But nevertheless
(01:27):
it is another cost that goes on to tourists, usually
though through the ear fears, so you don't notice that
one as much, but it's still there.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
How much of a bollocking did Judy give Shane?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
You imagine sitting across the table from Shane Jones and saying, look, Shane,
you shouldn't have said that. It's not the sort of
thing that we would doing. Showy.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
If I imagine this between Judas Collins and Shane Jones,
which frankly I do enjoy imagining, I feel like I
feel like she is one of the few people that
he would sit down and take get from.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
I don't know though, I mean, Judith Collins has got
a very good sense of humor as well, and you know,
be a little scary.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
She can be.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Scary, but when you look at Justice Sheryl glynnon the
High Court Judge Sits and Wellington. She was a member
of a communist organization in her youth, in her young days,
and that's probably common to many of us that you know,
we had different leanings to what we may have to.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Well.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
I was probably much more left wing than I am today,
but there you go. But Shane Jones, it's his sixty
fifth birthday today, so you can wish him happy birthday.
He said when he was talking about the apology, he said,
I can thank Winston Peters for the gold card. So
there was a bit of politics in there, and he
said he was a bit more circumspect when it came
(02:53):
to the judge. He said he was born under the moon,
so maybe he was howling at it, which was one
way of sort of talking around it. But it was
a contrite Jones who says he's now been schooled by
due to the Collins, and he accepts it.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
I can't walk it back.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
I said it.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
I think what the Attorney General reminded me, because I'm
a fairly voluble character. Is there Everything that's recorded said
by a minister in formal meetings is a reflection on
cableet and she wants to see an improvement.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Well, we'll see, we'll see Jonesy being much more low
key in the house not and then his boss Winston Peters,
though he was a little less contritor might say, even
though he agreed Collins had to have a word with
his voluble minister.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Judith is right. But then Shane, he was talking about
someone's past when they were young, when they belonged to
a communist organization. The question is is that a private
to a line against someone who at a certain age
is more mature and whether that is an answerable question
or not, it should not have been said, and Trade
had decide with dutifulness Matters I said the same. I
(04:06):
know how frustrating it is, but frankly, the separation between
the courts and the politics is a critical part to
us democracy.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
It is the key to way democracy. Separation between the
judiciary and it's true and the Parliament.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Now, the Greens are pretty upset with Simon about what
he said about the speed bumps right because he said
that he was defunding speed Bumps Hallelujah to the tune
of twelve million bucks, based on the fact that he
got rid of twenty four and they cost five hundred
thout each exactly, and that's a little that's a little
sneaky for a.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Bit, it's stretching.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
There are two that costs that much, but the rest
of them are considerably cheaper.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
There was a project in Auckland's Grave then that costs
four hundred and ninety thousand dollars for essentially a speed bump,
but it was traffic management.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
That it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, that's not it.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Costs well, yes it does, but it's not the building
of the actual bump itself. It was co funded though
by Auckland Transport, which is the rate power of Auckland
and the Transport Agency. The other bumps that have been
put in place, they are estimated to cost around nineteen
(05:19):
to thirty one thousand dollars each. Now the Transport Agency
they provided a list of thirty two speed bumps that
had been canceled under this government, but they didn't say
what the cost was. Unfortunately, a spokesman of Brown they
couldn't give any evidence of the savings, but they stood
by the minister's statement. Honestly, I think stretching a point
(05:43):
that Simeon can do no role.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Because he is Goldenden.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I think he was described this morning by one of
my costcumes.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
That was me because because I mentioned it on als
A Caucuss, somebody had told me that's caucus is nick name.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Good is that? Hey?
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Thank you, Barry, I appreciated this. Barry so Per, Senior
political correspondent.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
For more from Hither Duplessy Alan Drive, listen live to
news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
Very so sing your political correspondence with us Barry.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Hello, good afternoon, Heather.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hiking the tourism levy is clearly just a money grab
to make the books balance a little bit better.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Right, Well, it's incredible, isn't it. Well it shouldn't be,
because the levee goes towards they tell us, maintaining public
services are utilized by tourists, and you know conservation.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
What the trade of giving dock more money?
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Yes, yes, so essentially those at the pit face of
tourism in this country. The chief executive of the tourism
industry said that modeling had found the increase could result
in forty eight thousand fewer tourists coming to this country.
(00:43):
The board, the airline Board of Representatives, they say that
tourism basically is soft in this country and we're lagging
behind the Asia Pacific region. So it's all about I
understand like you here, they said, you're editorial. I understand
the levy going up because I think tourists should be
paying a bit more, although I did look at some
(01:04):
countries overseas. If you take the UK, for example, the
levy to enter the UK is ten pound and that
lasts for two years. If you come back, you don't
have to pay it again, and ours is one hundred.
And don't forget that we're have a departure tax as
well from this country, so you pay for the privilege
of leaving the country that's been on the box for
a long time. That's only twenty five bucks. But nevertheless
(01:27):
it is another cost that goes on to tourists, usually
though through the ear fears, so you don't notice that
one as much, but it's still there.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
How much of a bollocking did Judy give Shane?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
You imagine sitting across the table from Shane Jones and saying, look, Shane,
you shouldn't have said that. It's not the sort of
thing that we would doing. Showy.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
If I imagine this between Judas Collins and Shane Jones,
which frankly I do enjoy imagining, I feel like I
feel like she is one of the few people that
he would sit down and take get from.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
I don't know though, I mean, Judith Collins has got
a very good sense of humor as well, and you know,
be a little scary.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
She can be.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Scary, but when you look at Justice Sheryl glynnon the
High Court Judge Sits and Wellington. She was a member
of a communist organization in her youth, in her young days,
and that's probably common to many of us that you know,
we had different leanings to what we may have to.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Well.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
I was probably much more left wing than I am today,
but there you go. But Shane Jones, it's his sixty
fifth birthday today, so you can wish him happy birthday.
He said when he was talking about the apology, he said,
I can thank Winston Peters for the gold card. So
there was a bit of politics in there, and he
said he was a bit more circumspect when it came
(02:53):
to the judge. He said he was born under the moon,
so maybe he was howling at it, which was one
way of sort of talking around it. But it was
a contrite Jones who says he's now been schooled by
due to the Collins, and he accepts it.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
I can't walk it back.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
I said it.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
I think what the Attorney General reminded me, because I'm
a fairly voluble character. Is there Everything that's recorded said
by a minister in formal meetings is a reflection on
cableet and she wants to see an improvement.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Well, we'll see, we'll see Jonesy being much more low
key in the house not and then his boss Winston Peters,
though he was a little less contritor might say, even
though he agreed Collins had to have a word with
his voluble minister.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Judith is right. But then Shane, he was talking about
someone's past when they were young, when they belonged to
a communist organization. The question is is that a private
to a line against someone who at a certain age
is more mature and whether that is an answerable question
or not, it should not have been said, and Trade
had decide with dutifulness Matters I said the same. I
(04:06):
know how frustrating it is, but frankly, the separation between
the courts and the politics is a critical part to
us democracy.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
It is the key to way democracy. Separation between the
judiciary and it's true and the Parliament.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Now, the Greens are pretty upset with Simon about what
he said about the speed bumps right because he said
that he was defunding speed Bumps Hallelujah to the tune
of twelve million bucks, based on the fact that he
got rid of twenty four and they cost five hundred
thout each exactly, and that's a little that's a little
sneaky for a.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Bit, it's stretching.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
There are two that costs that much, but the rest
of them are considerably cheaper.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
There was a project in Auckland's Grave then that costs
four hundred and ninety thousand dollars for essentially a speed bump,
but it was traffic management.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
That it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, that's not it.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Costs well, yes it does, but it's not the building
of the actual bump itself. It was co funded though
by Auckland Transport, which is the rate power of Auckland
and the Transport Agency. The other bumps that have been
put in place, they are estimated to cost around nineteen
(05:19):
to thirty one thousand dollars each. Now the Transport Agency
they provided a list of thirty two speed bumps that
had been canceled under this government, but they didn't say
what the cost was. Unfortunately, a spokesman of Brown they
couldn't give any evidence of the savings, but they stood
by the minister's statement. Honestly, I think stretching a point
(05:43):
that Simeon can do no role.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Because he is Goldenden.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I think he was described this morning by one of
my costcumes.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
That was me because because I mentioned it on als
A Caucuss, somebody had told me that's caucus is nick name.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Good is that? Hey?
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Thank you, Barry, I appreciated this. Barry so Per, Senior
political correspondent.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
For more from Hither Duplessy Alan Drive, listen live to
news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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