Road User Charges (Temporary RUC Reduction Scheme) Amendment Bill

We come now to clause 3, which is the debate on clause 3, “Principal Act”. The question is that clause 3 stand part.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’ve got some questions to the Minister, so I’m following the second reading where we were talking about the interventions to lower the cost of living. I wondered whether the Minister had seen any distributional impact analysis that this bill will have, or whether he’s looking to seek for some. I’m also interested in the Minister’s analysis around the impact this is likely to have on emissions in our other local and international commitments to climate change and whether he thinks that this was the most effective intervention to try and achieve what the bill is trying to do regarding the cost of living and the context of the geopolitical conditions.

I’m not entirely clear that those matters do come within the ambit of clause 3, but, briefly, as a helpful Minister, I would note that, firstly, we would expect there to be a positive distributional impact and, secondly, that in respect of emissions, observations and advice from officials so far has tended to be that fuel consumption in New Zealand is relatively inelastic in respect of price.

Clause 3 agreed to.

Clause 4 Amendments to Road User Charges Act 2012