A ‘fair go’ from taxes?
A VISITOR levy is not the answer to Queenstown’s lagging infrastructure, NZ First leader Winston Peters says.
Speaking to the Otago Daily Times before a public meeting in the resort on Saturday, Mr Peters said its residents should be asking how much they had got back from the $630 million the Government had accrued in net GST receipts from tourism.
‘‘Despite the stress of your infrastructural deficit, they said they’d give $12 million towards tourists from Invercargill to Kaitaia.
‘‘My invitation to the people down here is to have a hard look at how they’re voting, and ask if they’re getting a fair go.
‘‘Last year,
Simon Bridges came down here and promised you the fourlaning of
Kawarau Rd between the
BP station and airport roundabouts.
‘‘He said it was on the NZTA’s longterm work list. I don’t think you guys can wait for that.’’
The Government had promised $140 million over five years to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and had underwritten the Chinaled bank by more than half a billion dollars, he said.
‘‘That’s $700 million for infrastructural investment, but not in New Zealand — imagine what you could do in New Zealand with that sort of money.’’
He expected to name the party’s CluthaSouthland election candidate in five or six weeks, and was ‘‘certain’’ the party would get more of the party vote there than 2014’s 6.2%.
About 40 people attended the evening meeting, a crowd Mr Peters blamed on the Highlanders playing at the same time and the fact it was ‘‘Saturday night in a tourist town’’.
His speech focused on NZ First’s policies of addressing the ‘‘overvalued’’ exchange rate, increasing regional economic development, cutting immigration and stopping foreigners from buying New Zealand land.