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A taxpayer lobby group has complained to the Financial Markets Authority alleging that Auckland Mayor Phil Goff misled the market in a statement about a rate hike proposal.
The Auckland Taxpayers Alliance (ARA) said Goff’s reference to a proposed “rate increase” of $ 36 for an average household was misleading and did not make clear the scale of the possible rate increase.
Goff used the figure in his proposal for the previously promised 3.5 percent average rate increase, which will be increased to 5 percent for next year alone, with $ 36 being the difference between those two tiers.
Ricky Wilson / Stuff
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff has been accused of “being cute with his words” in a statement about a proposed rate increase.
The ARA accused Goff of “being cute with his words” by describing only the difference between the two tiers, rather than specifying how much a 5 percent increase meant in dollar terms.
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“Unfortunately for Mr. Goff, being deceptive or dishonest is illegal when it comes to our financial markets,” said Jordan Williams of ARA, which has been taken over by the Taxpayers Union.
The Auckland Council declared the proposal in a statement to the stock exchange which it should keep up to date as some council bonds are traded on the markets.
That statement was linked to a press release on the council’s website, in which Goff referred to “an additional $ 36 per household for one year” and said: “While not all Auckland residents will be delighted with an increase one of the $ 36 fees, it’s a one-time measure. “
cameron burnell / stuff
New Zealand Taxpayers Union spokesperson Jordan Williams.
Williams said that “the media took the hook, the line and the plumb line,” however Things The $ 36 figure related to the one-time increase above the 3.5 percent trajectory had always been clear.
The proposed 5 percent rate increase for 2021-22 comes up for public consultation in early 2021, as a measure to cover a projected $ 1 billion drop in revenue over four years, which is expected to flow through the impacts of Covid-19.
Things has solicited comments from the mayor’s office.
