Motorists Oppose Area Petrol Tax

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32301, 20 May 1970, Page 1

Motorists Oppose Area Petrol Tax

Complete opposition to a levy of an area tax on petrol for any purpose was reiterated by Dr J. R. Maling, president of the Automobile Association (Canterbury), yesterday.

He was commenting on the Christchurch City Council’s decision to seek top priority for implementation of a tax on petrol as a source of local body revenue.

On behalf of nearly 500,000 members of the 15 automobile associations, the national coordinating body had expressed the strongest possible opposition to additional tax burden on motorists, Dr Maling said. In submissions to the Committee of Inquiry into urban passenger transport it had said that taxes amounting to sl3lm had been paid in 1968 and had increased to $141.4m last year. No-one would dispute that in times of financial emergency every section of the community should bear its share of any additional burden, but in the “mini-Bud-get” of 1967 motorists were called on to bear approximately 65 per cent of the total. Automobile associations were delighted in 1969 when the Budget transferred 2.3 c of the diverted petrol tax to the National Roads Board. The associations had said in a letter to the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) that it was imperative for the board to

receive the proceeds of the remaining 1c a gallon of petrol tax transferred to the Consolidated Account in 1967 if it was to proceed with urgently required major road works.