Rate capping: 'You've got to be able to control the costs first' - ACT leader David Seymour
Photo:
RNZ / Mark Papalii
Both ACT and New Zealand First are casting doubt on whether capping council rates is the answer, even as the local government minister says he wants the policy in place as "fast as possible."
The government is considering options to control rate rises - including placing a cap on how much local councils can increase rates.
When asked for his position on rate capping, ACT leader David Seymour said "you've got to be able to control the costs first".
Seymour said the issue was being looked at, but he was "really strong" on making sure "you're saving money before you cap the revenue".
"The only thing I'd say, if you're asking me, is don't cap your income until you've got your spending under control."
When asked for his position, Winston Peters responded by saying "every other party is interfering in local government" and that New Zealand First had never interfered in local government.
"It's a case of doctor, heal thyself" he said, "we can't be preaching to them when we haven't got our own spending under control ourselves."
It comes as local government minister Simon Watts, speaking at a Taxpayers' Union LGNZ protest, told those gathered he wanted rates capping "in place as fast as possible".
In a video posted by the Taxpayers' Union on social media, Watts said the government needed to intervene and make sure caps were in a sensible place, in order to bring costs down for ratepayers.
"This is your money, this is ratepayers' money," he said.
"In terms of timeline, we're working at pace. I know everybody wants it to be done yesterday.
"My direction to my officials is crack on, I want this in place as fast as possible. We're aiming to have that all decided ... definitely before Christmas, if we can go faster we will."
Watts said he was making sure to get the details right, so that when the policy comes into force, "as fast as possible it actually achieves that outcome."
He said he was working through how the caps would be set, as well as working with "our coalition partners" around where it's set, "and we'll make a decision".
"So you guys can have assurance the government knows this needs to happen, we know we need to get it in place as fast as practical, and it needs to do what it needs to do which is cap those rates and get rid of that nonsense."
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