Scott AlastairALASTAIR SCOTT (National—Wairarapa): Thank you for the opportunity to speak at the committee stage on this bill. It's not clear—to me at least—the purpose of the bill: what this Government is trying to achieve by introducing this regional tax bill. Is it just to reduce and tax those who use fuel? Is it to reduce congestion on Auckland's roads? Is it to reduce the congestion that exists in other cities because we've already heard that this will be rolled out into regions? Is it to incentivise electric vehicles? Is it to incentivise those people who use CNG or LPG in their vehicles? As we know CNG and LPG are exempt from this fuel tax and of course electric vehicles simply don't use carbon-based fuel and so therefore are also exempt.And so then the question arises: how do we capture and how do we tax or how do we ensure that those users of electric vehicles and those users of CNG and LPG vehicles do get charged for their use of the roading network? If that's the purpose of the tax—because as I say it's unclear exactly what the mission statement is what the purpose is of this tax other than to simply collect tax to simply tax those who are using fuel. If that is the case why tax them at the point of distribution? Why not as submitters submitted tax them as it leaves Marsden Point? Why not tax it at one spot for all the fuel that leaves Marsden Point? That way all the road users will be—Dr Duncan Webb: Paying for Auckland's roads.ALASTAIR SCOTT: But that's my purpose. The member asked the question and that's the question: what is the purpose? So if it is to tax fuel then just tax fuel and put it at the point of source. If it is only to tax Auckland road-users—and that might be the purpose—why allow other regions at a future date in January 2021 I think it is to introduce the tax if it is just to deal with Auckland congestion and Auckland roading?Then if it is to do with Auckland congestion and Auckland roading why not take on a congestion charge? It's a much more sensible much more efficient and much more effective use and it's less costly and much more targeted because of course those who pay the congestion tax at the higher rate would be those who are using it at a peak time and so therefore should be charged more. So why has the Government not thought of a congestion tax? They haven't. They are too lazy. They haven't given any intellectual power to the debate around a congestion tax. Instead they've gone after the regions. I represent the large electorate of the Wairarapa. Those people the people of the Wairarapa and other regions will be paying a regional tax because believe me Wellington Regional Council will introduce this tax. They will be paying a road tax for the purposes of Wellington CBD Wellington light rail equivalent through to the airport. So the guys in Pongaroa who have to drive more kilometres to take their kids to school more kilometres to take their kids to the doctor more kilometres to drive to the supermarket and more kilometres to go to their workplace—for example the cattle-yards or sheep-yards—will be paying the regional fuel tax for the purposes of the CBD of Wellington and that is just unfair. That is just unfair.The other people that this tax is burdensome on are those who can least afford it. That side say they support those who can least afford but people who are at the lower end of the socio-economic ladder have less efficient cars. They don't have electric vehicles (EVs). Those people who do not have so much money in their pockets those people who are driving old cars and who live in cheaper parts of town further away from their workplace—and I'm not talking just about the city-dwellers; I'm talking about those who live outside of Masterton several kilometres outside of Masterton—will have to travel a long way to get to their place of work which might be a shearing shed 25 or 35 kilometres up the road. They are driving in vehicles and I'll tell you what: they're not EVs and they're not hybrids and they're not expensive and they're not fuel-efficient. They will be paying this fuel tax and for what? Are they going to see better roads on their way to and from work on their way to and from the supermarket? They are not.If the Government had spent 10 seconds thinking about it—have they considered instead of a regional tax talking about a district tax? Has there been any thought about a district council being able to collect this tax? We know and particularly in the Wairarapa it is low-density populations with many many kilometres per capita which need extra roadworks basically. There's a huge amount of mileage that is required in low-density large electorate populations. So has the Government thought about dedicating this tax—and it will be coming to the Wellington region—to the local councils so that the local council can determine which roads need the most repair? So there's a lot of unfairness in this bill. There's a lot of inequity in this bill. There's little thought that has gone into this bill.There are other issues that—well I'll give you another example. In the Wairarapa we have a wave of wood—they call it the wave of wood"—that is about to be harvested. Now the fuel tax will not be applied to those operators on the farm just as fuel excise does not apply to on-farm places of business. So we're going to have a lot of fuel burnt in-forest which will be exempt of course but then the logging trucks will be punching away through these on the way to the ports on the way to Napier Port or on the way to the port of Wellington and little consideration for those district councils and particularly the district ratepayers who end up footing the bill for these huge vehicles. Of course forestry is a fantastic industry but we need to think about who is going to pay for what as far as road repairs. So we're going to have a situation where logs are harvested trucks are brought across these gravel roads ripped up and they will only pay road-user charges only use road-user charges.So there's a lot of inequities in this bill but I do ask the Government to think about those people particularly in the Wellington region who will be asked to pay for this fuel tax and who can least afford it—those who are travelling long distances to get to work get to school get to the football field or get to rugby practice. And I also ask—the fact that not only the distance but the quality of vehicle is not as good as the townies who can walk to work who can cycle to work far more easily. And I do ask for the Government to really think about what they are trying to achieve by putting this legislation through. Is it to dissuade people from using fuel or is it simply to raise tax for some black hole to fund the light rail system from Auckland CBD through to the airport? If that's the case well my point is target it. Target the tax to incentivise or disincentivise the behaviour that the Government is wishing to stimulate or to deter but don't just blanket swab a regional fuel tax across all people in all regions in all places for all conditions because that type of attitude that type of tax is simply unfair."