This is exactly how things played out in our latest survey, which looked specifically at funding options, existing and new. But the survey found that there was more support for a tool that council already has at hand - the Interim Transport Levy. The levy is a targeted rate that was established last year to fund transport projects, for a three-year period. A regional fuel tax could arguably offer some benefits in terms of fairness, but it also presents serious technical and political difficulties, as do motorway tolls and asset sales. The AA isn't opposed to new funding tools - in fact, we've supported a regional fuel tax in the past - but we certainly shouldn't be jumping straight in.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 15, 2017 16:00 UTC