Goodbye Hubbard

[idleidolidyll]

Are we? It'll be 60% gone to corporate sponsors of the NZRFU before the rest of the tickets go into a ballot. Why should Akld ratepayers foot the bill for Clarke & Mallard's self-publicity? They bought the cup, they can sign the cheque.

I'm right with Banks on this, spend money to upgrade local infrastructure, railway stations around the ground etc, but the stadium? No.

Question for you Skyryder: How much of the produce of the rest of NZ leaves through Ports of Auckland?

hey look, something we agree on!

bugger the world cup, it's a profit making enterprise and should not be a burden on those who are not rugby fans and certainly not on aucklanders alone.

while we're at it, don't fund the amerika's cup.................

[MisterD]

I was not talking about 'proportion' but the fact that an additional petrol tax has been imposed on all NZ for Auckland's roading upgrades.

Skyryder

Or put another way, Auckland's tax take needs to be spent of Auckland instead of propping up the rest of the country - so you buggers need to front-up for a change.

[MisterD]

hey look, something we agree on!

bugger the world cup, it's a profit making enterprise and should not be a burden on those who are not rugby fans and certainly not on aucklanders alone.

while we're at it, don't fund the amerika's cup.................

Well whaddya know...

Actually the America's cup is starting to look like good value. $3M (or whatever) for second place versus how much that gets ploughed into rugby from schools upwards to get 7th or 8th?

[Skyryder]

Question for you Skyryder: How much of the produce of the rest of NZ leaves through Ports of Auckland?

I have no idea nor do I care. Bottomline on this is that the stadium is an Auckland facility and will be used by Aucklanders..........mostly.

Skyryder.

[Usarka]

I have no idea nor do I care. Bottomline on this is that the stadium is an Auckland facility and will be used by Aucklanders..........mostly.

Skyryder.

Fine, we chose not to upgrade it. go banksie. next.

[idleidolidyll]

Well whaddya know...

Actually the America's cup is starting to look like good value. $3M (or whatever) for second place versus how much that gets ploughed into rugby from schools upwards to get 7th or 8th?

if either of them could bring a few billion$ to NZ for the cost of a few tens or hundreds of million$, any government should consider supporting it.

however, to expect the ratepayers of one city to foot the bill is ridiculous particularly given the increases in water and other rates outstripping wage rises over the last few decades.

[idleidolidyll]

I have no idea nor do I care. Bottomline on this is that the stadium is an Auckland facility and will be used by Aucklanders..........mostly.

Skyryder.

fine, if you're happy to pay an extra 10% in rates to have the world cup in your city, be my guest

i for one don't want my rates to help an enormously profitable business make even more profits

[Skyryder]

Or put another way, Auckland's tax take needs to be spent of Auckland instead of propping up the rest of the country - so you buggers need to front-up for a change.

I think the rest of the country does front up. Or to put another way if export goods were only produced in Auckland you may have a point but exports are prooduced throughout the land that's the entire length and breadth and so are taxes.

Skyryder

[idleidolidyll]

I think the rest of the country does front up. Or to put another way if export goods were only produced in Auckland you may have a point but exports are prooduced throughout the land that's the entire length and breadth and so are taxes.

Skyryder

what really kills me is hearing Christchurch people whine about taking 10 minutes to get from the city to Riccarton even as they continue to complain about money being spent on alleviating the 1-1.5 hour trip from papakura to auckland city.

if any of you complainers really want it, i'll pry up a piece of motorway and send it to you as a token

[Delerium]

I was not talking about 'proportion' but the fact that an additional petrol tax has been imposed on all NZ for Auckland's roading upgrades.

Skyryder

Ok, what about us aucklanders subsidising the rest of the country for the last what, 30 years. You dont want to pay more now to have our projects completed? ok fine, we'll take a refund of all the money of that we have put in that was spent over the rest of the country.

[Robert Taylor]

Ok, what about us aucklanders subsidising the rest of the country for the last what, 30 years. You dont want to pay more now to have our projects completed? ok fine, we'll take a refund of all the money of that we have put in that was spent over the rest of the country.

Some perspective here...more Kiwis live outside of Auckland than within it.

[Robert Taylor]

Well whaddya know...

Actually the America's cup is starting to look like good value. $3M (or whatever) for second place versus how much that gets ploughed into rugby from schools upwards to get 7th or 8th?

Johny Reid, currently leading A1GP, no taxpayer funding. Very articulate when interviewed, clear concise non bastardised English, and doesnt trash hotel rooms.

[Sanx]

nope, not quite right

he never said he WOULD lower taxes at any particular time (please correct me if I'm wrong with suitable references); he said that IF economics allowed for it, he'd consider the idea

the 'suggestion' of lowering taxes is not a contract even in the verbal form

Nope. Not quite right. You mis-read my post - I never claimed Cullen said he was going to lower taxes, I said he promised to raise the thresholds at which the various tax rates kick in, which is effectively lowering tax. And here's your reference.

[Sanx]

Some perspective here...more Kiwis live outside of Auckland than within it.

Yes, but one third of the population lives in Auckland. It's the single biggest contributor to government coffers. It's had chronic under-investment for the last thirty odd years and now that lack of investment is starting to choke the city.

And when the single biggest market in the country slowly grinds to a halt, the rest of the economy suffers.

[Bass]

I was not talking about 'proportion' but the fact that an additional petrol tax has been imposed on all NZ for Auckland's roading upgrades.

Skyryder

Maybe, but Auckland has been subsidising roading in the rest of the country for decades and it's not only roading that this applies to.
Funny how the whinging only starts when the scales start to balance.

BTW, I'm a southlander and so have seen both sides of the coin