New Zealanders should not have to wait yet another year for Rates Capping

The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming Local Government Minister Simon Watts’ commitment to rates capping made last night in Wellington but is urging him to expedite the policy. The Union warns that continued delays will undermine public confidence and emboldening opponents of reform such as Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ).

Taxpayers’ Union Local Government Campaigns Manager, Sam Warren, said:

“More than 25,000 New Zealanders have already signed the Taxpayers’ Union’s Cap Rates Now petition. It’s time for Watts to listen – now, not later.”

“Only opening for consultation at the end of this year is simply not good enough. Polling shows that Kiwis are losing trust in National to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and with this slow response, we can see why. A primary driver of the cost of living is out of control rates, which have increased on average by more than a third since 2022.”

“The timeframe announced by Watts also means that voters are going into the local elections in October blind to what rates could or could not be, undermining local democracy. LGNZ know this, which is why they have been throwing sand in the gears to try and delay the policy.”

“Minister Watts is complicating what should be a straightforward fix. The policy work can and should be done within months, not dragged out to suit the bureaucrats and lobby groups like LGNZ who benefit from the status quo.”