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The Shield of Sanctimony, Ctd

by Whaleoil on November 16, 2012

The Greens have issued a statement about taxes and borrowing to pay for roads…

The National Government’s reckless plan to build unneeded highways has created a huge budget hole that taxpayers will be forced to pay for with higher taxes, Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said today.

The Green Party has obtained an internal New Zealand Transport Agency document which states there is a $1.7 billion shortfall between the cost of the Government’s transport plans and the projected revenue as a result of the huge cost of National’s pet highway projects and stagnant traffic volumes resulting in lower than projected fuel tax revenue.

The briefing outlines three options to close the gap: delaying the so-called ‘Roads of National Significance’ by up to five years (which is marked as “not acceptable”); borrowing the money and using Public-Private Partnerships as a form of borrowing, which would only shift the cost to the taxpayer into the future and constrain future transport budgets; or increasing petrol tax by nine cents a litre.

“Kiwis will be paying more to fund National’s unneeded and uneconomic highways, and they will have few options to avoid rising fuel prices.

Perhaps Genter would like to us whether the Greens still support regional petrol taxes?  Do they still support raiding the Land Transport budget for walkways, cycleways and trains at the expense of roads?  Do they still support minimum emissions standards for all vehicles on our roads?  Do they still support minimum fuel efficiency standards for all cars on our roads? Do they still support new taxes on all fossil fuels?  Do they still support emissions testing becoming part of the WOF? Do they still oppose all oil exploration?

And that’s just a few for starters.  So for the Greens to complain about taxes and borrowing (when they want to print money) is just two faced hypocrisy sanctimony.

The Green prescription is a pile of new taxes and red tape for motorists.

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  • conwaycaptain

    Is Julie Ann Genter a NZ Citizen??

    • Gazzaw

      A NZ resident I believe. The US does not allow its citizens to hold dual citizenship. You’re either an American or you are not. I don’t think she has made that commitment to NZ.

      • conwaycaptain

        Then why is she and MP

        • Vlad

          You have to be a NZ citizen to become an MP. She must have become a NZ citizen – can’t imagine that would be missed. Have to be resident for 5yrs to get citizenship; she came to NZ in 2006 so it must have been a just-in-time job for the 2011 election!

      • Rolla

        Yes but they don’t care as long as you only use your US passport when entering and leaving the US. I’ve got a few friends with dual citizenship here and the US. Mainly they keep their US one so they can get through immigration and customs quickly in the US. One keeps it becuase her parents both served in the US military stationed in Europe when she was born and growing up, so she get EU benefits from her US passport, and military benefits that she’d loose if she renounced her US citizenship.

        Its a law that no one pays attention too, its just on the US statute books for political reasons

      • Phar Lap

        Seems she spends a lot of her time in the USA AT OUR EXPENSE.Wonder if a NZ citizen going the other way to Australia or USA,would be considered for #1 Aussie Citizen # an American citizen with a so called green card ,yeah right.She easily got a green card in NZ and gets all the benefits NZ has to offer.Seems we are the eternal dumbos allowing such benefits to half baked wetbacks,even allowing bludgers like that living off the NZ taxpayer.A politician,teeheeehee,FFS.

        • Vlad

          To be eligible for a grant of New Zealand citizenship you must have New Zealand residence.

          Residence means that Immigration New Zealand has allowed you to live in New Zealand indefinitely. You are required to have:

          Been present in New Zealand;
          for at least 1,350 days with New Zealand residence during the 5 years immediately before you make your application; and
          for at least 240 days with New Zealand residence in each of those 5 years; and
          Fully met any conditions imposed by Immigration New Zealand in regard to your New Zealand residence.
          New Zealand residence‘New Zealand residence’ means you have a residence permit, a residence visa, or a permanent residence visa issued by Immigration New Zealand or you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

          Please Note: If you can show that there are exceptional circumstances that warrant a reduction, you may be considered as long as you have a minimum presence in New Zealand of 450 days with New Zealand residence in the 20 months before you make your application.

          • Phar Lap

            Very well explained,Thank you i would be greatful if you could compare or explain,the criteria for a NZ citizen settling in USA OR AUSTRALIA,and what kind of hoops would they have to jump through to be a legal politician,in either country.

  • Vlad

    Expect more of this. As with Russel Norman’s hand-wringing article in the Herald about NZ “living within its means” this is part of a strategy to portray the party as responsible on economic issues. Using Peter Dunne style keywords to make the worm of public opinion turn upwards. Given the limp and lazy cut-and-paste compliance of the Herald and DomPost, they will get quite a few of these messages away.

  • sheppy

    How much is the extra cost of Loopies Rail Loop and all the other nonsense schemes they want to throw money at?
    The stupidness of rail was proven the the other day when one failed cable killed most of the network

    • Gazzaw

      I thought about that at the time Sheppy. Wouldn’t it be great to have been on a train to the airport with a tight flight connection.

  • Honcho

    I wonder if they realise that introducing minimum emissions standards and emissions testing as part of warrent of fitness testing will hurt their most loyal voters the hardest, have you seen the standard of vehicles with green party bumper stickers?
    Talk about shitting where you sleep

    • BW_Lord

      C’mon, everyone knows that green supporters are above all that warrant of fitness shit. Hug a tree once a day and all your vehicle emissions turn into dove farts for the betterment of the world.

  • tarkwin

    The Greens really hate the so called “holiday highway” improvement to SH1 from Puhoi north. We need this upgrade to open the North up. One of them was on t.v the other week saying they don’t care about the north, probably because every electorate up here is blue (apart from the Hone one!) Northlanders have long memories and I’l be reminding people up here what the Greens think of us at the next election.

  • toby_toby

    Typical Green attitude. They want to worsen the lifestyle of anyone who isn’t a Green so that Greens can have a better lifestyle. A classic Greens vs Everyone Else type of class warfare.

  • In Vino Veritas

    Perhaps Juile Genter should actually read the report on the economic benefits of the Roads of National Significance. She seems (as do Labour) to pick out the bits she wants. The report says that for every $1 of capital invested, it will return $1.80 to the economy. It also shows there are wider economic benefits for each of the individual RoN’s.

    Oh, and for any of you that have the stomach for it:
    http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/rons-economic-assessment-2010-05/docs/full-report.pdf

  • Frank Thomas

    What a bunch of fucktards the Greens are!!!!!!
    To think that they could be part of the next government is truly scary……..

  • Sir Cullen’s Sidekick

    No way I am going to pay for 9 cents a litre petrol for the roads I will never be using, Instead these can be toll roads at acceptable level of toll. I for once hate fuel taxes. They start as regional taxes first and then become national level. Forget it pal.

  • Sarrs

    I think the Green’s problem here is that National are only proposing a 9c increase. If the Greens had their way, it would be $9

  • LR

    Good. Let the looney Greens publish this crap as the voting public need to know how they are fucked in the head. A terminal case of FITHs disease.

  • Patrick

    Problem is the Greenie commies either live on the Coramandel or they travel from Auckland to the Coramandel where they spend their time huffing & puffing away on foot long joints. They already have their new bridge so they don’t give a hoot about all those “rich pricks” (National Voters) that travel north & have to run the gauntlet on that dangerous stretch of road like the dome valley. They are sanctimonous pricks that should be told to f&ck off.

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