Dave Stewart

The review this week of building standards for earthquake proofing highlights to me the need for central government mandates on councils to be fully funded.

One of the counter arguments in the campaign for Government to fully fund mandated spending is that it’s either taxpayers’ money or ratepayers’ money that is being spent, but the argument doesn’t stack up.

Central government’s appetite for spending ratepayers’ money on their pet projects might change if they had to find the money from their own budgets.
Government fully funding it’s mandated spending helps ratepayers AND taxpayers – it’s win – win.