But what about the level of rates Helen!

Helen Clark has waded into the ARC rating debarcle and declared that the problem is “the system adopted by Auckland Regional Council was biased against lower and modest-income people and shifted the rates burden away from business on to residents.”

What she doesn’t mention or condemn is the outraegous 34% increase in the total rate take. That is the bigger issue, but it is usual for the left to squabble about how to divide the pie up, rather than concentrate on how big (or small in this case) the pie should be.

Of course having led a Government which has increased on introduced 18 taxes or levies (and seven more on the way), Miss Clark is hardly likely to decry the ARC following her lead. In fact it seems their main sin is that unlike the Government they haven’t socked it enough to business.

And incidentially what has caused the 34% increase. A public transport levy to support a system that 95% of Aucklanders will never use. But that’s an issue for another day.