1
00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,280
Speaker 1: So Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop is in the United States

2
00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:07,040
Speaker 1: for a range of meetings across housing, planning, development and transport,

3
00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:09,119
Speaker 1: and he's in fact in New York right now to

4
00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:14,640
Speaker 1: speak to city officials about their congestion pricing. And that

5
00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:17,400
Speaker 1: makes it seem as though congestion charges are inevitable in

6
00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:19,279
Speaker 1: this country, and not just for the basket case that

7
00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:21,840
Speaker 1: is Auckland. I think Totalagner and Wellington will be in

8
00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:24,360
Speaker 1: the firing line as well, and the point about them

9
00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:26,920
Speaker 1: is not just to ease congestion on our roads, but

10
00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:28,880
Speaker 1: it will be a white lie to assertain that it's

11
00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:32,240
Speaker 1: not a money maker as well. So when not if

12
00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:35,360
Speaker 1: Chris Bishop comes back and pulls the pin on congestion

13
00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:37,720
Speaker 1: charges in this country, the question is who will get

14
00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:39,640
Speaker 1: the money? And I think it's a no brainer that

15
00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:42,239
Speaker 1: any money raised in a district should be reinvested in

16
00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:45,040
Speaker 1: that district. That's Wayne Brown's position on the matter, and

17
00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:48,000
Speaker 1: the legislation that has already been proposed to do that

18
00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:51,920
Speaker 1: says that. But never under estimate a government's ability to

19
00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,800
Speaker 1: hold on to any revenue, So stay vigilant on this now.

20
00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:59,000
Speaker 1: The other thing to note about congestion charges overseas is

21
00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,320
Speaker 1: that the cities that have them have alternative transport options,

22
00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:06,319
Speaker 1: you know, the underground or the subway. Auckland CRL rail

23
00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:09,640
Speaker 1: project means the city will have an alternative, but introducing

24
00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:13,200
Speaker 1: it elsewhere id like Teldonger, maybe even Wellington would be unfair.

25
00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:17,400
Speaker 1: And it's an irony that the electorate's unwillingness to invest

26
00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:21,040
Speaker 1: tax money into public transport means that pressure is now

27
00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:24,520
Speaker 1: mounting to take money off them for congestion. And you

28
00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:27,800
Speaker 1: know you can't escape tax, and make no mistake about it,

29
00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:32,000
Speaker 1: congestion pricing is a tax? Is it a tax? Technically,

30
00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:35,160
Speaker 1: taxes are used to raise revenue for broad public spending.

31
00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:39,240
Speaker 1: Congestion pricing designed to manage demand and change behavior. But

32
00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:42,160
Speaker 1: it's still the government taking money off you. It feels

33
00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:45,120
Speaker 1: like a tax and therefore it's a tax. So it

34
00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:47,800
Speaker 1: would be very rich for a national party to claim

35
00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:50,760
Speaker 1: in the next election we are not the party of taxation,

36
00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:54,440
Speaker 1: and that just on arrests only with the left wing. No,

37
00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:58,840
Speaker 1: they're going to tax us for driving on roads. And

38
00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:02,120
Speaker 1: you know what, I haven't any politician from either side

39
00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:05,240
Speaker 1: who actually, in their heart of hearts doesn't like a

40
00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,840
Speaker 1: good text but some are just too shy to admit it.

41
00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:12,920
Speaker 1: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, Listen live

42
00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:16,040
Speaker 1: to News Talks it Be from five am weekdays, or

43
00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:18,040
Speaker 1: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio