Roger Greenslade
Act candidate Wairarapa
1) Are you in favour of a water tax for its commercial use? Why, why not?
Act is in favour of pricing water rather than a tax and allowing the use rights to be traded. This is supported by a strong science research base to ensure we do not over-allocate water while repairing environmental damage already done to our rivers and lakes. Turning water use into a property right would mean farmers retain their current access to water, but they'll also have an incentive to conserve it because they'll have the option of selling their excess quota. Economically efficient use of water will result if we price water and allow it to be tradeable. Those revenues should in the first instance be used to fund the monitoring, consultation, enforcement, scientific research, and environmental work focused on fixing degraded water quality.
But we need to do this without undermining the democratic arrangements governing local and regional government representatives.
2) Does such a tax threaten to deepen the region's town/country rift and the disconnect between food production and our population?
Yes, as it would immediately affect both farmers and growers and the increased cost of a tax would drive up the price of food, and therefore, affect the consumer. This is going to unfairly affect areas like Central Hawke's Bay and the Wairarapa where farmers and growers are such an important part of the local economy.
3) Some say this will cost farmers and consumers - do you agree?
I agree the water tax will not only drastically affect farmers and their businesses, but that these politically-determined charges will flow on to consumers.
