Ardern has John Key moment on fuel taxes

First I knew of it, Jones says of declaration

It might have been only for a few minutes, but National Party leader Simon Bridges’ stars briefly aligned yesterday. It came when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stood up for yet another Question Time on petrol prices and announced regional fuel taxes would not be allowed in any region other than Auckland as long as she was Prime Minister.

It seemed to come out of nowhere. It was popped in at the very end after prolonged questioning from Bridges, who has pledged to scrap the regional fuel taxes altogether.

Ardern had accused Bridges of making up a story about talks for a fuel tax in Wellington to create a distraction from the woes afflicting him and the National Party. In the process, she delivered an even better distraction for him.

It was Ardern’s John Key Superannuation moment — a pledge made for political reasons.

In 2008, Key had said he would resign if he made any changes to superannuation. That was done to quell Labour’s claims he had a secret agenda to raise the retirement age and even maybe means-test super.

Labour had made it clear Auckland was the only region allowed the tax in the short term, but it had left the door open to others to apply after 2020. That was always going to be a headache for Labour as 2020 loomed and National wrought havoc by warning regional fuel taxes were coming for other regions.

After her declaration, Ardern’s office insisted it was not policy on the fly and that she had always made it clear to Cabinet committees she would not allow any regions other than Auckland to have it.

If so, it seems bizarre she did not say so publicly — and that the prospect of post-2020 fuel taxes had always been in play. In fact, Transport Minister Phil Twyford had told councils to work with his ministry on

their bids if they were keen.

It certainly came as a surprise to coalition partner Shane Jones, the Regional Development Minister. Jones was filling in for Twyford in Parliament. Asked when he had first known of the decision not to allow other regions to get the fuel taxes, Jones said it was when Ardern stood up and announced it.

Her announcement will also surprise those 14 councils who had been told to work with the Ministry of Transport on their bids for post2020. Councils — including Hamilton — have long called for more ways to raise revenue to help stem rates increases. The tax was dangled tantalisingly before them. They have now been told it is forbidden fruit.

The first response was to wonder where the money for roading projects would come from now.

Ardern got rid of a political hot potato and saved herself the problem of performing the exact same backflip two years from now.

The timing of it suited Bridges, too. He will take victories where he can and here it came in, getting people talking about petrol again rather than his leadership.