![\"\"](\"https:\/\/exposures.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/bank-robbery-150x150.jpg\")
Central government used to give the GST component of rates back to the council until John Key needed a ‘one off’ to pay for his projects during the Global Financial Crisis.<\/p>\nCentral government used to give the GST component of rates back to the council until John Key needed a ‘one off’ to pay for his projects during the Global Financial Crisis.<\/p>\n
But he never kept his word and central Government still steals over a billion dollars a year from councils.<\/p>\n
In Whakatane the amount we are robbed comes to over $8 million dollars based on 2022 figures.<\/p>\n
While government ministers spout on and on and on about councils focusing on basics rather than ‘nice to haves’ it’s about time to remind them the billion dollars a year they steal off Aotearoa’s ratepayers would be ‘nice to have’ back in our pockets where it belongs.<\/p>\n
Every council in Aotearoa agrees and every economist accepts that government keeping the GST portion of our rates is a ‘tax on a tax’.<\/p>\n
Government needs to get back to basics and stop treating ratepayers like a bottomless ATM and return the $1.1 billion GST component of rates back to councils.<\/p>\n
Further reading:<\/p>\n
Govt\u2019s billion dollar tax take on rates must be returned<\/a><\/p>\n GST on rates: Council body Local Government NZ makes billion-dollar rates plea<\/a><\/p>\n Returning GST on rates to Council would be game-changing<\/a><\/p>\n Returning GST on rates to councils would cost $1.1b<\/a><\/p>\n GST on rates under scrutiny as council costs soar<\/a><\/p>\n The cost of returning GST from rates to local councils<\/a><\/p>\n Govt might take $1.1b hit to return GST on rates to councils<\/a><\/p>\n Government rejects Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s demands over rates, GST<\/a> Every council in Aotearoa agrees and every economist accepts that government keeping the GST portion of our rates is a ‘tax on a tax’. Government needs to get back to basics and stop treating ratepayers like a bottomless ATM . Return the $1.1 billion GST component of rates back to councils. . . . → Read More: Government Needs To Return $1 Billion GST To Councils<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7410,"featured_media":491,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[120],"tags":[],"series":[124],"class_list":["post-1150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-election-25","series-dave-for-council","odd"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/exposures.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/nostalgia_drags_0204_25.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/exposures.co.nz\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/exposures.co.nz\/?feed=podcast&podcast_series=dave-for-council","embedCode":"
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Government Needs To Return $1 Billion GST To Councils<\/a><\/blockquote>