KEY POINTS:
Here is a further selection of Your Views:
Steve Doole
10 cents is far too little. This government have lost its nerve for bold moves. The world is moving past them quite rapidly now. 50 cents is more likely to be effective in both paying for public transport and for reducing car use. Imagine how much of NZ's foreign income that would save (not spend on fuel and cars), and expensive motorways some people seem keen on building. Maybe North Shore could pay more than 50 cents though, to pay for the next harbour bridge and for the nearly built busway?
Greg (Auckland)
Electric trains? So where's the 'extra' electric generation coming from? kind of moots any points about tax cuts, Doh.
Hurray for democracy
Judging from all the negative comments of Aucklanders (particularly those from The Shore) Aucklanders don't actually want their traffic problem solved. I draw that conclusion because no one seems to want a solution that will cost them personally, and yet all rational people know that problems don't naturally evaporate without being doused in cash or hard work. Fortunately for the few of us who are rational, all you idiots elected the current government democratically and so you're just going to have to lump whatever decision your democratically elected representatives decide is in your best interests. Peace out y'all. Smug.
Leo Hitchcock
Why should I pay extra fuel tax for trains?? I already pay fuel tax for improved roads on which to drive my car, however I don't see that I will ever be driving my car on train tracks! I don't see how one has anything to do with the other. Surely, 'user pays' means that the train users pay for the trains, not a vehicle/road user!
Overtaxed (North Shore)
Electric trains is just another excuse to levy another tax. Or is this another over kill on achieving carbon neutral? Whatever the motive or agenda the taxpayer is an easy target. Bigger city dwellers have to pay again. There is another issue too. If tax is levied on petrol, the GST on top of it is another cool 12.5 per cent revenue to the govt's coffers. The govt doesn't really care if the price of petrol shot through the roof. The GST portion will provide increasing tax benefits to the government.When electric trains are up and running and if they are worth anything, they will be flogged off to the investors. Just like the airports, electricity companies and Metrowater..Please don't tax us for the electric trains, get some private company to build one using private funds. Give them whatever incentives, subsidies and tax holidays but please stop taxing the motorist.
Brendan (Swanson)
The budget looks to be again a let down for the 'average kiwi' earner and with an increase in fuel prices the future looks bleak at owning a home in the near future, with house prices increasing people are forced to move further away from the city and from the areas of work, therefore public transport will need to be a complex system to be able to deliver people to their area of work in a convenient and timely manner so people vacate their cars and opt for the public transport option. The government making a profit and not passing this on to the public is concerning, every day I talk to people that are waiting for medical treatment in the public system that would be much easier to manage if seen to sooner. I'm a very proud Kiwi but advance Australia fair is starting to sound more and more inviting.
Gordon Bartram
Absolutely! Electrification and expansion of the Auckland Rail network is essential and should have happened 30 years ago. If that had happened the city would not be in the traffic mess it is now. The AA and other Road advocates need to get their heads out of the sand. Rail is not the only answer for Auckland but it needs to be recognised as important as yet more motorway projects.
MK the Student
Student, hmmm, more money to dish out for petrol and now left with how much for food again this week? Oh, thats right, nothing again! I say bring on improvements and developments, but lets get one thing done at a time, Auckland city roads are chaotic with roadworks lets complete that first. Then we could look at timetable efficiency for both buses and trains. Seems hardworking people work only to hand out to cater for tax pay and all for lavish ideas of those that obviously have money to throw around.
MikeE
As someone will never use a train, as no train will provide transport from my home in the city, to the North shore (driving against traffic, so not adding to congestion), why on earth should I be subsidising someone elses transport. Why should I be *forced* to pay for yet another service that I do not want, and will not use. Why do train users have more right to the money I earn than I do?
Bill Hall
Definitely not. I never have the need to use the rail system so why should I have an added tax on my fuel? Charge the users.
Jeff H (Mission Bay)
Very happy to contribute to electric trains and other public transport infrastructure through a fuel tax but I want to see some real bang for my buck. Suggest a 10-year public bond issue linked to KiwiSaver would also be well supported as a financing option. For Auckland to become an even greater city we need to move more people and not more cars, particularly on our daily commutes. Future electified MRT/metro lnes should ultimately provide fast connections to the rest of the city and Airport(s?) with a tunnel to the Shore linking Devonport, Takapuna and Albany. Future large Dannemora, Stonefields, Albany type developments should not be give consent until their connectivity issues are addressed.
El Gus (Auckland)
I'm happy with the tax but I'd be happier with things really happening! Public transport can be improved now only if brave enough people want to. One thought. Everyone seems to see driving as a right. It's not. We as a society (all of us) have the authority to put as many conditions on driving as we deem necessary to protect people's health and well-being.
Le Fox
Cullens' theory seems to be: "I can con all of the people as much as I like, because I hold the purse strings." We have been paying taxes for roading & transport in just about every tax that is available,such as rates & petrol taxes. How inflationary will it be with another 10 cent hike? You will need to mortgage your house to buy your weekly groceries. Politicians these days have consisted of dole bludgers & other less paid professions, so you would think they would understand how difficult it is to live on low wages, however, as these people are now on excess of $100,00 have superannuation, limo service, unlimited air travel, housing allowance, cheap food & drink at Bellamys, & the list goes on, quite obviously, it rates along the arrogant Marie Antoinettes' well known put down: The Peasants are revolting, because they have no bread. "Well let them eat cake." Peasants can vote these days, so roll on the elections.
Fab (Auckland)
Am I mistaken or the trains are already electric? They carry a diesel generator to make the electricity...don't they? So...we make the electricity on the Waikato(river) carry it all the way to Auckland to electrify about 100 Km of wire hanging about(The transport of electricity across distances dissipates part of it into heat)...mmm...Does not sound too smart to me. They would be better off to change the diesel generator with some sort of gas turbine ( Like the ones used right now in town http://www.stagecoach.co.nz/citycircuit/ )Or maybe we want something else that stops next time someone does not maintain the high voltage wires properly.
North Shore
As a North Shore resident, I will strongly oppose any regional fuel tax to be spent on rail, unless the plan includes extending rail to the North Shore. And does anyone not think that Labour are stockpiling for another pre-election bribe? Remember the student loan bribe at the last minute? I will be amazed if Cullen doesn't unveil a change to tax thresholds before the election.
Recently Returned (Wellington)
Hooray! Finally a move in the right direction. Having lived in the UK the last 4 years, coming back to NZ's "public transport" was an embarrassment. Brits are constantly critical of their own public transport systems - but at least they have one at all! As we are learning the hard way, personal transport has a fast reached critical mass. Public transport is something for everybody - whether you own a car or not and in todays environmental situation it should be clear that we can't keep up our levels of (carbon emitting) car consumption.
Dave
Auckland is a disaster. If they were a private business they would have gone bankrupt. The council is incomptent and have badly mismanaged what should be a custodian or gate-keeper task. They have not spent the money on the infrastructure. All they are worry about is getting re-elected and keep delaying spending the money or increasing the rates. I had a good look at Auckland. The roads and footpaths are in a bad state and need fixing. I notice now Aucklanders are getting hit with a huge surcharge on water rates. I believe the pipes and sewerage are past there use by date. I am sick of hearing about Auckland's woes. I hope we "meaning" the rest of NZ do not have to pick up the tab for mismanagement by councillors more concerned about keeping rates low so that can be re-elected as councillors.
North Shore
If we are going to go down the route of electric trains & a fuel tax why not forget trains & go for a monorail system like they run in several countries. These can run down existing transport corridors & fully automated saving on driver wages & costs. Catching a monorail to the airport would be simple & extremely popular. Imagine the cost of running a train system to the airport? Buses could act as feeders to this system. This also means that the tax is not penalising any one who does not have a train service available. This government keeps saying user pays so why should any North Shore resident pay for a service they cannot use? It would also become a tourist attraction. Do not forget that the Government will charge GST on top of the 10 per cent fuel tax. So if the fuel cost is $1.50/ltr then the new price will be $1.67/ltr. All up they are looking at another $17.5 Million if the reports on $140 Million are correct.
Fdup (Auckland)
Why should Aucklanders have to pay 10cents extra in petrol tax
when for years we were getting shafted from the already tax on petrol that was meant to cover for roads? This money went to other areas and the fat cats in Wellington keep getting pay raises.
Will
We dont just need to electrify the existing rail corridors, we need new ones, and soon. Sure some houses, roads and other land will have to go to make way, but that's what (normally) happens in a "big" city. We need to double or treble the existing capacity of the network in Auckland. Something also needs to be done about the runaway road transport industry, which actively lobbies against rail and results in the likes of 1500 trucks per day barrelling down roads like Kepa Rd which cannot take it. Fix the rail between container terminals, put a rail corridor alongside the northern motorway instead of multiple new lanes, run rail to east Auckland, etc. bus companies will also have to be dealt to in terms of pricing and efficiency. I know all of this is easier said than done, but the too-hard-basket is already overflowing from this government/council cronies and their mediocre approach to most things. Auckland is a very large city (in terms of area) and it needs rail!
Alex
Oooh goody - an electric train set from Uncle Scrooge. This is a pathetic attempt to appease the paranoia over the environment. Trains are a public transport option available to less than 25 per cent of Aucklanders. The current service is a shambles that if you relied on it, you would lose your job for being constantly late for work. Kiwis used to be renown for their ability for practical thinking but to spend hundred of millions on electrification is a joke. And another tax as well - you have to be kidding me!
Aussie Kiwi
A city the size of Auckland should have had an extensive and efficient rail system years ago. Yes there should be more lines including the North Shore etc. An electric railway is easily the most efficient and much quieter. The cost of such a system may well be considerable but common sense tells us that it will benefit the community massively. Most large cities depend on rail to get commuters to work and home. There are many cities in the developed world, the size of Auckland, that have superb rail systems. The main problem here in Australia is that infrastructure such as the rail systems are overloaded because of increased commuter demand and lack of investment. Sit in a car on the motorway at peak hour and imagine taking an efficient, fast, train that allows you to read the paper and gets you to work in a fraction of the time hassle free.
Colin England
The tax on petrol in Auckland isn't just to raise money for the infrastructure - it's also to make using your cars less economically viable. I fully support the tax but the government doesn't seem to have thought things through as the rise in demand for public transport will push the price of that up as well. The government doesn't seem to have realised that they are going to have to dictate to the bus companies the actual fares and the number of buses/trains for this to work. As we subsidise public transport to a fairly significant degree anyway then that shouldn't be a problem. If it does then we obviously need to bring public transport back into public ownership for the good of the community.
Brandon
Wow ... Fantastic ... Glad that because I live in "Auckland" I get to pay for the trains, despite the fact that there are no trains on the North Shore, where I live. Why are transport planners so hell-bent on trains, when we only basically have 2 train lines in Auckland? - if you don't happen to live near either of them trains are no use whatsoever. North Shore and Rodney residents should not have to pay an extra petrol tax for trains for other parts of Auckland. North Auckland residents are already paying a massive rates bill to pay for the Northern Busway. Some of the Auckland petrol tax should pay for the Busway, otherwise petrol stations north of the bridge should be exempt. Trains are great in London and Melbourne - but in those cities they have train lines branching out in every direction, not just a single line to the South and West.
Tony
We have a large surplus with no tax cuts and they want to increase petrol tax to fun electric trains.No way Jose. Where are the surplus funds in the Consolidated Fund? What is the revenue take (GST & tax)from petrol? Michael row your boat ashore you are hallucinating spending too much time with our surplus. If and should the gate keeper not able to listen to the owners, it's time for a change.Bye bye Labour.
Arron
Take our existing petrol tax that goes into the consolidated fund and use that to pay for the public transport system instead of beneficiaries, refugees that commit crime, and the rest of Labour's pet social engineering initiatives. If we do that and through in a small proportion of the massive surpluses that we have been bled dry to fund and combine it with some sensible long-term debt finance, we will have more than enough to fully upgrade Auckland's sorry infrastructure. Also don't do the upgrade half-arse. Give us a proper rail network, extended to the Shore and with a city underground loop. You should be able to take a train from Papakura to the airport, on to Henderson or Albany with minimal hassle. Buses are inefficient, dirty, and contribute to congestion, dump them now.
Joe
Seen as the trains run nowhere near my house anyway, no I am not happy about it. Maybe try electric buses, as at least they would cover more of Auckland.
Richard
I'm glad the government is finally spending money on trains. They are the most efficient and speedy form of public transport. To hell with buses.
Amanda (Auckland)
I find it disgusting that I have to pay a fuel tax to pay for electric trains. The trains & buses that we have currently dont get used so why would people suddenly start using electric ones? When people say upgrade the public transport system I am sure they mean that they want our current service improved, more stops, more buses, more trains, more frequent services, better running times and it would be an immense help if buses and trains linked together. However, sadly they dont. I truly do not see the point in paying for electric trains when the public transport that is currently in place barely gets used.
Jono
A 10c tax on top of the 4c tax introduced a few years back, of which, the funds are yet to be seen. The 4c tax was adjusted for inflation on April 1, so we paid an extra .69c. And remember too, you'll be paying GST on the 10c tax. Electrification of rail is not going to solve Auckland's traffic problems, as those north of the bridge don't even have railway lines. This stinks of an attempted environmental policy from the greens, when all it will do is leave many people even more out of pocket from this government, with very little benefit. Thanks for nothing aunty Helen.
Marcus (Te Henga)
Yes I do. How much of NZ's GDP goes towards importing petrol? A huge sum (check out "City of Cars" on You Tube). Trains and the electrification of trains is an investment which in the long run is going to save the whole country money.
John Morriss
When I see an announcement like this another 10c a litre tax for electric trains i cant believe the cheek of them. While I dont oppose the electrictification of trains in Auckland something that should have been done back when Sir Robbie was in power, its ridiculous the amount everyone is already paying in fuel taxes. Sit down and rethink this one I urge. Having just come back from overseas after working in Japan for 7 yrs to live and work in Auckland I am shocked at how everything has gone up in price wouldn't putting up fuel tax add to this inflation phenomenon.
Bruce (Auckland)
I believe this is a bad move for train transportation. Jjust think of the chaos it would cause because we have never tested and trial out electric trains before. Why dont they just concentrate on the trains we already have by improving time efficiency, I travel on the train daily and there not a single time the train is early, alot of the times its running late due to certain problems. If the government really want more of us to use public transport they should think about time efficiency and lowering the cost of public transport . If we compare our prices with global prices our prices are very high.
Simon Thornley
New Zealand is suffering many consequences of its intoxication with personal motorised travel. If one is foolish enough to drive one's car into the city at rush hour this is abundantly clear. At last a common sense step in the right direction, weaning us off cars and on to trains... Bravo!
Waitakere
I'd be happy to pay, on the condition that the electric trains are the same as the ones used in Sydney, because they're brilliant.
John
Those complaining: stop talking about it and leave. I've lived in OZ for many years and it's not much different. I's certainly not a paradise and there are plenty of taxes you've never even heard of so you'll find plenty to whine about there and you'll feel right at home.
Mischa
Auckland has obviously suffered long enough without significant investment in its public transport. Is electrifying rail necessary? Absolutely. Do we need tax cuts? Not unless we want to lose it to higher interest rates. Come on people. Lets think about the future not just what's in it for me.
Jeff
As a North shore resident who will not get to use a train at all the answer would be no,if the government have such a large surplus why not use that? By adding taxes to petrol it will in turn push up inflation as companies increase prices to cover this expense.
Baffled (Wellington)
Let me get this right, the government already has a gigantic tax surplus, which it either can't or won't spend, so it now wants to collect more? I just don't get it. Does anybody?
David Sullivan
We should absolutely go for electric trains. They are more efficient,they go faster, they recharge their batteries when slowing down, and they are far far cheaper in the long run. With the uncertain nature of oil prices and our abundant electricity, we'd be crazy to do anything else.
Finatic
No tax cut... what a surprise, yet again! We get bombarded with all these taxes and now they want to add a 10c petrol tax to pay for public transport? With a rise in taxes and rise in inflation – are our wages raised to meet this as is done in Aussie? No! Moving across the ditch is looking better and better everyday! Roll on election day!
Isaac Broome (Onehunga)
Ideally the Government should be using some of the huge surplus it has to pay for the rail electrification and motorway completion in Auckland. After all, Auckland's transport has been neglected for decades and Auckland does contribute a rather large amount to the Government's tax revenue intake. And what about the other 2c and 3c a litre petrol levies they put on a few years ago to pay for sorting Auckland's transport problems, that everyone seems to have forgotten? At the end of the day though, if this new petrol tax will mean Auckland will definitely get new electric trains and will mean motorists won't have to pay tolls on roads, well yes I am happy to pay it and it will be for the best. Electrification of the Auckland rail network will be one of the biggest milestones in Auckland's transport timeline. It really needs to happen, there is clearly demand for trains, far exceeding what can be supplied at present, and new electric trains will provide a more frequent, faster and reliable service. It will also enable the existing trains to run new services further afield to destinations such as Kumeu, Helensville, Onehunga, Manukau and Hamilton, giving more choice with trains.
MDC
Yes I'm happy to pay a bit extra on petrol to get a decent transport system and decent roads. Petrol is so dear now, what's another 10 cents? It's only fitting that it should be an Auckland regional tax, why should the rest of the country have to pay for a large majority of selfish motorists who drive big cars, often with only one person in them, who clutter the roads and pollute the atmosphere.
pCb (Auckland)
Will this government ever get the idea that you can squeeze only so much blood out of a stone?
Ray Eyre (Whangarei)
Even though the budget has not become public at this stage and I do not have any idea as to the contents, I can and will state publicly that it will not be worth the time taken to announce it. We already know that the current government does not give a stuff about the ordinary person. They already tax us left right and center and tax us on the taxes as well. There will be no relief for the working man. It stands to reason that taxes could not be cut because the government would not be able to give themselves another huge annual salary increase. Lets be totally honest with ourselves, are the members of parliament really worth the incomes the receive? No they are not. Any person could sit in the chamber and pack a wobbly, any person could debate stupid laws, any person with half a moronic mind could run this country better than it is been done now. Why do we continue to allow the red party to feather its own bed at our personal expense? That said, this budget will be nothing different from the previous budgets. So why bother making such a media storm of something that has no meaning or relevance to Joe Public.
Raff Dellavaris
A Public Transport System in all 5 or 6 majors cities of New Zealand is so vital for our economy, that I think it stands out glaringly as our absolute priority. It deserves more money and attention even than the 10 per cent fuel tax will afford, and could even requiring borrowing to carrying out a proper overhaul. A fuel tax will certainly ensure something gets done for electrification of rail in Auckland and also to discourage people from using cars, so I'm all for it. But is it enough?
Mike (Auckland)
Here are two questions that journalists should be asking?
1) What percentage of the existing petrol tax gets put into transport projects and how much goes into the consolidated fund. Surely, the majority of the existing petrol tax should be going to transport projects anyway with maybe a small percentage for healthcare due to car accidents, etc. Are we gettign ripped off twice with this new 10c fuel tax. 2) The Auckland Region makes up approx 25 per cent of the population and probably a similar percentage of the total tax intake to the government. Are Aucklanders getting 25 per cent of the roading budget. It would be interesting to look at this over the last 25 years and see whether Aucklanders have been short changed or not. So I would only agree with a 10c fuel levy if: We are getting our fair share of the roading budget i.e 25 per cent and that the majority of petrol taxation goes toward roading projects.
Over-taxed Aucklander
Well low and behold. Yet another nail in the coffin for the Labour goverment. I don't use the trains and cannot ever envisage additional train lines running alongside say the Western motorway. There is only limited areas that the trains currently operate along. The Western trains are renowned for being late or delayed. This is just another Labour government scam to get more money out of already over-taxed low income earners.
Daily Train User
Does Auckland even have enough electricity to run trains? does not seem that long ago and we had brown outs... biodiesel anyone ?
Peter
Why should I pay a fuel tax for trains when I live on the North Shore and the trains don't run there? I already catch public transport to and from work so only use my car in the weekend- am I to be penalised for this?
Hawkes Bay
We can be certain of two things in the next 20 years. Combating global warming will become more imperative and oil will be come more expensive. So instead of waiting for the oil price to jump through the roof and collapsing in a panic lets prepare. A tax means that the country can slowly adjust to higher petrol prices (ie dont buy a V8) and money can be spent on infrastructure to mitigate its effect when it happens. Not if but when. NZ the brand is the clean green image and frankly its all we have going for us as a point of difference within the global economy. Who cares if you dont agree with the eco principles. It is worth money. The issue of global warming is bringing all these ideas to the surface of the 'global conscience' and being seen to be green is going to become more important. In short. Tax away. Double the price. It is the only way that people will start thinking about alternatives and it will enable us to prepare for issues in the near future which are certain.
Marc
What's next; let's increase the tax on petrol so much so that the NZ Dollar exchange rate and oil price are inconsequential to how much we pay at the pump. What about the thousands upon thousands of Auckland residents that live on the North Shore where the train doesn't even go? If anything, this proposed tax should only be applicable to areas served by the train network. Let those Aucklanders front up the money as I have never and will never use the trains.....not out of choice but simply because I have no option to do so.
Adrian Drew
... because we can afford the current petrol price?
Sick and Tired Westie
Bring on the election, Sir Helen and co. are finished. A $7 billion operation surplus and they still find ways of lumping yet another tax on the spiralling price of petrol. Greedy, power tripping and out of touch with reality.
Andrew (One Tree Hill)
Yes lets have electric trains. They will make rail travel more attractive. The appeal will be even better once trains go to Onehunga and the airport.