Board opposes council proposal to raise visitor levy from $5 to $15
THE $5 levy imposed on visitors to Stewart Island has ‘‘more than covered’’ infrastructure costs on the island, Stewart IslandRakiura Community Board chairman Jon Spraggon says.
At a meeting yesterday, the community board adopted a submission to oppose the Southland District Council’s proposal to increase the levy from $5 to $15.
A draft bylaw to increase the levy was approved for consultation by the council in September.
In the submission, the board said an increase of $1 would be ‘‘acceptable’’, but it was not in favour of a greater increase as it had ‘‘not seen costing justification for such a move’’.
‘‘The big hassle we’ve had is the council haven’t said why they want to up it,’’ Mr Spraggon said yesterday.
The proposed increase was due to the council’s plans to ‘‘broaden’’ the criteria for accessing funds from the levy, council chief executive Steve Ruru said.
The criteria change meant funding could be ‘‘committed for a number of years into the future’’ for the development of infrastructure, and could also be allocated to cover ‘‘operational costs including salaries and wages’’, neither of which were provided for under the policy at present, he said.
‘‘Council is also aware of a number of infrastructure needs on the island which are not being met due to the lack of available funding,’’ he said.
However, the board did not approve of the levy being used for those purposes, Mr Spraggon said.
‘‘We’re happy for it to be used for terms that may go more than one year, but we’re not happy that it be used for the payment of wages, as such.’’
Although some ‘‘big expenditures’’ on infrastructure were coming, there were other ways to fund them, Mr Spraggon said.
‘‘We believe that they can be financed from a loan situation, and the loan being repaid out of the visitor levy but over a series of years, not trying to raise all of the money in one year.’’
‘‘Well and truly’’ a majority of people on the island opposed the proposal, he said.
The council had received 21 submissions on the policy and bylaw by yesterday.
Submissions close next
Friday.