Palino calls for Albany business tax incentives

Mayoral candidate John Palino wants to create 30,000 jobs on Auckland’s North Shore by offering tax incentives to businesses moving to Albany.

It’s a business philosophy which Palino says is used all over the world, and would solve the dysfunctional daily commute of so many Aucklanders into the CBD.

‘‘If you imagine 30,000 jobs in Albany that would take 30,000 cars off the road,‘‘ Palino says.

‘‘But you have to build up work centres.’’

Palino says a payroll tax incentive for businesses in Albany would invigorate the area in the same way New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani transformed Times Square during the 1990s from seedy entertainment strip to tourist destination.

‘‘This happens all over the world, Giuliani did it in New York City with Times Square, you want businesses to move to an area you give a tax incentive,’’ Palino says.

‘‘Central Government should say ‘look we’ll put some sort of rebate on building an office there’, you know, payroll taxes to 5 per cent, so everyone working there is getting 5 per cent back on the payroll.

However, University of Auckland planning senior lecturer Patricia Austin says, while encouraging a ‘‘polycentric’’ city with numerous work hubs is one way of looking at modern metropolitan planning, it is no easy solution to Auckland’s transport congestion.

‘‘People’s housing choices are often constrained by their family network, social network,‘‘ Austin says.

‘‘They’re not necessarily completely constrained by where somebody works, and if it’s only one member of the family working in this new office park in Albany then you have to think where the other family member is working and they might well be commuting back over the bridge.

SUPPLIED Mayoral candidate John Palino kicking off his campaign for mayor of Auckland at Metro theatre in Mangere.