Letters to the editor: Commission to run Tauranga City Council un-democratic

A reader suggests the appointment of a commission to run Tauranga City Council would be un-democratic. Photo / File

With regards to the Government considering imposing a commission to run our local Tauranga council.

I believe that, notwithstanding past such actions elsewhere, such action can be construed as non-democratic.

Yes, Labour is the largest party in Parliament and thus able to govern without reference to the balance of the Parliament.

However, voters in Tauranga at the last and several previous elections, elected a National Party candidate.

And, those same voters elected local, non-partisan, residents to our local council.

We do need help to sort out our problems and I'm sure such aid would be appreciated.

But central government control of our destiny by way of proxy commissioners is not by-the-people democracy.

Geoffrey Fowler
Pyes Pa

Housing solution

How to slow the house price inflation rate
Seventy-five per cent of Kiwis believe the Government should step in to lower house prices, according to a TVNZ report.

The Government should step in but not by putting taxes on property owners as the Green Party suggested.

In Melbourne, there is an annual land tax, stamp duty and capital gains tax. The Melbourne ratio of average household income to average house price is 11 times. In Auckland the ratio is 10 times.

Clearly the taxes in Melbourne are not having the desired effect to dampen house prices.

The Government needs to increase the supply of houses to lower the rise of house prices. This is simply done by offering a significantly increased profit margin for builders under the current Kiwibuild scheme and proactively communicating with building companies to entice them to build lower-value houses in the right locations for Kiwibuild.

I have no association with the building industry.

Adrian Knowles
Matua

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