AA, ARC In Stoush Over Rail Upgrade
August 7th, 2008
Auckland Regional Council (ARC) Chairman, Mike Lee, has rounded on the Automobile Association accusing it of trying to sabotage the $1bn rail electrification project. A furious Lee claims this is the intent of a letter the AA has written to him by challenging the legality of the ARC’s preparations for a regional fuel tax to help fund the project. However, AA Auckland Transport Spokesman, Simon Lambourne, denies trying to derail the project, saying his organisation simply wanted the Council to follow best practice by consulting motorists properly before introducing the country’s first regional fuel tax.
Obligations Met. On Tuesday, the ARC agreed to apply to the Govt for permission to progressively impose a regional fuel tax of up to 5c a litre starting July next year. This will help the Auckland Regional Transport Authority to borrow $607m to buy new electric trains. Despite the ARC announcement, Lambourne says the AA is “strongly of the opinion” the Council has not met legislative requirements for a fuel tax, having confined public consultations to a period before Parliament passed an enabling law last month. It plans to complain to Annette King about the process. Lee hit back at the AA’s letter saying the Council has fully met its obligations to consult the public during its budgeting round in April, when it sent a summary of its initial proposal to 558,000 addresses around Auckland.
Copyright © Media Information Ltd
NZ Transport Intelligence Briefing
Amalgamated Dairies
Strait Shipping