John MacDonald: Fuel taxes and toll roads are better than nothing

At last, Selwyn mayor Sam Broughton has come up with an idea that I actually agree with. 

There was his push recently for the speed limit on the Southern Motorway to be bumped up to 120 kph, just because people are driving that fast anyway. 

That wasn’t his finest hour. 

But this idea he’s pushing today - that new road tolls need to be created and higher fuel taxes are needed because of a lack of government funding for roading projects in our neck of the woods - I think it’s a winner. 

In fact, as far as higher fuel taxes are concerned, I don’t think it should be limited to Selwyn. I’d be all-for a Canterbury regional fuel tax to raise money for roads and transport here. Money that isn’t coming from the Government. 

Which is why Sam Broughton is speaking out today. He’s saying if we want better roads, and the money isn’t coming from Wellington, then we need to get some skin in the game. 

So it’s yes from me for a regional fuel tax. And it’s a yes from me for new road tolls. And I'd start with the Southern Motorway - which is in Sam’s area. I’d also be in favour of a toll on the Northern Motorway. 

Both of them very good roads, and both worth paying extra to use. 

This practical thinking we’re seeing from Sam Broughton is a far better and more realistic response to the Government prioritising the North Island over the South Island in its roading and transport funding announcement last week, than what we’re seeing and hearing from other Canterbury local body politicians. 

They’ve been banging-on about how unfair it all is. Sam Broughton, though, is saying ‘yep, it probably is. But we can either decide to keep whining about it or we can come up with some solutions ourselves’. 

They’re not his actual words, but that’s effectively what he’s saying with this talk of higher fuel taxes and road tolls in his area: take control. And I like it. 

Because if you just go on like Peter Scott, who is the chairman of Environment Canterbury —he’s saying ‘ooh it’s not fair and we just want our fair share’— if you keep banging on like that, that’s all it is - banging on. 

He’s throwing all sorts of percentages around - Canterbury makes up 12 percent of the country’s population, and our roads make up 16 percent of the total roading network, but we’re only getting five to eight percent of the funding. Wah wah wah. 

Wellington hears that kind of response and thinks ‘yeah and?’ 

Sam Broughton, though, he’s telling it like it is.  

He’s telling people in Selwyn that, if they want the improvements and changes to the roads that they think are needed, then we need to find a way of doing it that doesn’t rely on the Government and doesn’t mean rates going up and up and up. 

Which they already are in Selwyn. Over the next three years, on average, there’s going to be a 48 percent increase. And, without as much government money coming as it had hoped, the Selwyn council reckons that could go over the 50 percent increase mark. 

If you’re not convinced that a regional fuel tax for Canterbury is a good idea. Maybe this might convince you. Back in 2018, ECAN did the numbers and estimated that a regional fuel tax here —at say 10 cents a litre— could bring-in an additional $100 million for regional roading projects. 

This was just a couple of months after Auckland got its regional fuel tax. Which is history now, but I think it would be a winner here. 

If you think of those numbers ECAN did back in 2018. A regional fuel tax —providing the money was spent here— would have brought-in $600 million by now. Do you still think Sam Broughton is dreaming? I don’t think he is at all.  <

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Morning's Podcast with John McDonald
from Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
At Last at Last sealwomyor Sam Broughton has come up
with an idea that I actually agree with. There was
his pushed recently. Wasn't there for the speed limit on
the Southern Motorway to be bumped up to one hundred
and twenty just because people are driving that fast? Anyway?
It wasn't as fine as hour. But this idea is
pushing today that new road tolls or new toll roads

(00:36):
are needed and higher fuel taxes are needed because of
a lack of government funding for roading projects in our
neck of the woods. I think it's an absolute winner.
In fact, as far as higher fuel taxes are concerned,
I don't think it should be limited to Selwyn. I'd
be all for a Canterbury regional fuel tax to raise

(00:57):
money for roads and transport here. Money that, by the way,
isn't coming from the government, which is why Sam Broughton
is speaking out today. He's saying, if you want better
roads and the money isn't coming from Wellington, then you
need to get some skin in the game. So it's
yes from me. I don't know if he's proposing specifically
a regional fuel tax, but that's what I'm all for,

(01:18):
regional fuel tax. And it's a yes from me too
for new road tolls, and I would start pretty quickly
with the Southern Motorway, which is in Sam Broughton's area.
I'd also be in favor of a toll on the
Northern Motorway either side of Christchurch. Both of them very
good roads and both worth paying extra to use. I

(01:39):
reckon this practical thinking that we're seeing from Sam Broughton
is a far better Trust me. It is a far
better and more realistic response to the government prioritizing the
North Island over the South Island and it's roading and
transport funding announcement last week. It's a far better response
than what we're hearing and seeing from other Canterbury local

(02:01):
body politicians. I mean, they've been banging on about how
unfair it all is. Sam Broughton, though he's saying, Yep,
it probably is, but we can either decide to keep
widing about it, or we can come up with some
solutions ourselves. They're not his actual words, by the way,
but that's effectively what he's say with his talk of
higher fuel taxes and road tolls and Canterbury he's saying,

(02:25):
take control. And I like it because if you just
go on like Peter Scott, for example, who's the chairman
of Environment Canterbury, and he's saying, oh, it's not fair
and we just want our fair share. If you keep
banging all like that, well that's all it is, isn't it.
It's just banging on. He's stroying all sorts of percentages around.
You know, Canterbury makes up twelve percent of the country's

(02:46):
population and our roads make up sixteen percent of the
total roading network. But Ronny getting five to eight percent
of the funding. Wa wow, wow, you know Wellington they
hear all that kind of response and they think yeah,
and so what Sam Broughton, though, is telling it like
it is. He's been real and he's telling people in Selwyn.

(03:07):
But I'm interpreting it that he's telling all of us
in Canterbury that if we want the improvements and changes
to the roads that we think are needed, then we
need to find a way of doing it that doesn't
rely on the government and doesn't mean rates going up
and up then up, which they already are in Selwyn
over the next three years on average is going to
be a forty eight percent increase and without as much

(03:30):
government money coming as it had hoped for roading Selwyn
reckons that could go over the fifty percent increase mark.
It's probably worth noting here, by the way, that it's
unclear whether this idea of new toll roads or new
road tolls and higher fuel taxes. Unclear whether it's Sam
Broughton's idea or his council's idea, because we found out,
didn't we after he came out the other week with

(03:51):
the idea of increase in the speed limit on the
Southern Motorway to one hundred and twenty. We found out
subsequently that it wasn't actually what his council thought, it
was what he thought. Either way, though I back him
on this one. Why simple because what's the alternative? The
as to that, there isn't one. Now, if you're not

(04:14):
convinced that a regional fuel tax for Canterbury is a
good idea, maybe this might convince you. Back in twenty eighteen,
Ecan did the numbers and estimated that a regional fuel
tax here it's say, ten cents a liter, could bring
in an additional one hundred million bucks for regional roading projects.
That was just a couple of months after Auckland got
its regional fuel tax, which is history now. But anyway,

(04:36):
either way, I think it would be a winner here.
And if you think of those numbers, he can did
back in twenty eighteen a regional fuel tax, providing the
money was spent here. Of course, that would have brought
in six hundred million dollars by now. So do you
still think Sam Broughton is dreaming? I don't think he
is at all. I don't think he's dreaming either with

(04:57):
his call for more road tolls, and I'd be more
than happy to pay a told to use the Southern
Modeway and the Northern Motorway in and out of christ Church.

Speaker 1 (05:07):
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