Andrew Dickens: You can't escape tax - Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop is into the US for a range of meetings across housing, planning, development and transport. 

Notably - he's visiting New York to speak to city officials about their introduction of "CONGESTION PRICING" and how its faring. 

Over there - the results of charging people to use the roads in peak times have looked promising so far, and Bishop says he wants "to learn some lessons he could take back here" 

it appears congestion charges are inevitable.  And not just for the basket case that is Auckland. 

Tauranga and Wellington are in the firing line.

And the point about them is not just to ease the congestion on our roads but it would be a white lie to assert that it's not a money maker. 

So when, not if, Chris Bishop comes back and pulls the pin on congestion charges in this country the question is who gets the money? 

I think it's a no-brainer that any money raised in a district should be reinvested in that district. That is Wayne Brown's position on the matter.

The government's own the State Highways in our cities and so if money is collected from them, it will go back to the government.  But it has to then find its way back to the cities and not be lost in the consolidated fund.

The legislation that has already been proposed to do that but never underestimate the Government’s ability to hold onto any revenue if they can so stay vigilant.

The other thing to note about congestion charges overseas is that the cities have alternative transport options.  in New York and London it’s the underground and the subway. 

Auckland’s CRL rail project means that the city will have an alternative.  But introducing it elsewhere would be unfair. 

It’s an irony that the electorate’s unwillingness to invest tax money into public transport means that pressure is now mounting to take money off them for congestion. You can’t escape tax.

And make no mistake about congestion pricing this is a tax. 

Not technically. Taxes are generally used to raise revenue for broad public spending. Congestion pricing is designed primarily to manage demand and change behaviour. 

But it’s the government taking money off you and spending it for everyone. That's a tax.

So it would be very rich for a National party to claim that they're not a party of taxation and that dishonour rests only with the left wing. 

I haven't met any politician who doesn't like a good tax but some are too shy to admit it.

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