The Finance and Expenditure Select Committee hearings into National’s “Mixed-Ownership Model” Bill (aka Asset Sales) have begun in Wellington.
The vast majority of the more than 600 submitters to the select committee process are opposed (incl me) – most of them very strongly so. Of those presenting to the Committee by 4pm today, all are opposed – most of them vehemently.
Grey Power have presented how it will cost consumers on average $265/year to go to privately run companies – that the difference in cost between consumers of the SOE electricity companies and the currently privately held ones.
As Trevor Mallard puts it: “That’s quite a tax.”
And it’s not a tax to the government, to provide better social services either – rather a tax to pay to the wealthy who’ll be able to buy these assets.
At 3.31c/kWH or ~14% more expensive, that’s quite a tax on what most consider a human right.
The hearings are currently continuing, and adjourn to Auckland for Thursday. The 6 National MPs on the committee will continually have the message hammered home to them, although they are unlikely to be listening (although you could try emailing them to help…). One hopes Peter Dunne is listening, despite not being on the committee.
There will no doubt be many more submitters like Claire Beakley telling them: “You don’t sell half the house to do up the living room”.
[Although Danyl thinks Bill English might…]
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