Taxpayers stuck in middle with no solution in sight

ANDREW Cripps’ letter to the editor ( TB, 18/ 7) showed Labor had increased rego costs by over two times the rate of inflation. No one wants their registration increased in a diminishing job market and certainly not when we can see no discernible benefit to our roads.

It is similar to when the residents of North Queensland were hurting from an unprecedented increase in insurance costs and his previous government’s solution was to increase insurance stamp duty by 1.5 per cent to add another $ 100 million to its bottom line. That was a brilliant move considering your Smart Choices campaign to convince us to sell our assets cost us $ 70 million. So through the LNP’s fiscal superiority we are only $ 30 million in the hole on that gem of an idea.

Or we could look to the 22 per cent power price hike in 2013 followed by a 13 per cent increase in 2014. Power costs have nearly doubled in the past four years and both sides of politics are at fault. The average bill rose by $ 440 in this time.

I understand Andrew has reverted to his well- worn route of anti- everything in opposition but what happens to the taxpayer? We are stuck between two sides of the fence where whichever way we turn we are stuck with the same two sides of politics. We vote for one side until we get sick of them then swap to the other side for a while and so the cycle goes.

I have heard mention on more than one occasion that it is time for the Nationals to regain their identity. The soulsucking LNP side of the agreement has taken its toll on a party that once stood for great things but is now nothing more than an annoyance to the true liberals. Once upon a time the Nats were there for the rural communities and were a force to be reckoned with, now we are looking a ghost of past power in Queensland. Do us a favour Andrew, convince your Nationals to stand alone again and regain the upper hand for those that don’t live in Brisbane.

MARK MOLACHINO,

Aitkenvale.