Time of Use Charging (aka Congestion Charging)
- Daddy Pig
- May 4
- 4 min read
Rock The Vote's Submission on Land Transport Management (Time of Use Charging) Amendment Bill
Introduction
Rock the Vote NZ strongly opposes the Land Transport Management (Time of Use Charging) Amendment Bill (hence forth "the Bill").
We feel that the Bill must be rejected in its entirety because of the following:
It is an unwarranted expansion of monitoring and surveillance of private individuals.
It imposes extra taxes and fees when people are facing monetary problems and a cost-of-living crisis already as it is.
It infringes upon the basic agreement about charging tolls on the public highway.
It will disproportionately penalize low-income New Zealanders and small businesses.
It creates a costly and superfluous system that is advantageous to offshore corporations.
It undermines individuals' freedom and their right to travel.
It paves the way for social and ideological engineering in the future.
It enables the step-by-step construction of a mass surveillance system that could have ominous future dangers.
We oppose this because we believe in individual rights, national sovereignty, limited government, and transparent, accountable government.
Reasons to Object
1. Growth of Surveillance and Monitoring
The Bill permits local authorities to establish road pricing schemes. They can employ Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and may employ mandatory GPS tracking.This expansion of surveillance violates the right to freedom of movement and privacy guaranteed under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. There are also examples of abuse, for instance, the abuse of ANPR by New Zealand Police.Demonstrate that surveillance technologies, once established, are prone to abuse.
Later administrations, or malevolent forces within the State, could easily "turn the key" to these surveillance structures for much more malevolent reasons, as privacy experts around the world have advocated for, the classic line “If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear” has been debunked countless times by experts around the world.
2. Imposition of New Taxes Amidst a Cost-of-Living Crisis
The Bill puts in place a system for collecting extra tax and penalties from New Zealand road users. This will aggravate financial problems for individuals and families because of already high inflation, housing costs, and financial instability across New Zealand. We need to be easing the burden not fuelling it.
Time of use pricing is unfair. It punishes mostly those who cannot change when they travel, like low-income workers, service industry workers, and essential workers. Not everyone has the option to change to public transportation and as a result it will raise the financial burden on the people.
3. Disrupting the Existing 'Social Contract'
Under the Land Transport Management Act 2003 Section 48, tolls could only be imposed on new roads, and free alternative routes had to exist. That a feasible, untolled, alternative route is available to road users.
The Bill essentially reverses this principle by allowing for tolls on current public infrastructure, without providing new options of which public transport does not count it must be an actual route. This is a violation of the express guarantee to New Zealanders of their rights to utilize public roads at no additional expense.
4. Adverse Societal and Economic Effects
Evidence from other cities, like in the United Kingdom, suggests that congestion pricing makes it harder for low-income individuals to move around, with unclear net benefits. Research on the congestion charging scheme of London shows that rich drivers paid most of the charges, but poor passengers cut their journeys to Central London more. This suggests that congestion pricing has a higher impact on poor people by limiting their travel choices.
Transport for London (TfL) announced that in the 2017–18 financial year, the congestion charge raised £229.8 million in revenue. However, £57.7 million—close to 25% of the revenue—was used in operating expenses, which is a result of the very high cost of running these systems.
This diverts valuable public funds away from essential infrastructure projects, posing a significant risk, that available resources will be consumed by the setup and ongoing maintenance of the system, rather than supporting public transport upgrades or regional economic growth.
5. Incrementalism and Public Opinion Manipulation
The Bill's structure depicts a step-by-step approach. It seeks to begin with modest projects initially and hopes to evolve into a national GPS-based billing system in the long run.
Public consultations are considered a formality because the final decision has already been taken by the policymakers.
This practice undermines democratic accountability and is against the principles of good governance.
6. Future Ideological and Behavioural Control
The Bill allows for "special exemptions" from fees, which could be expanded over time according to political ideology (e.g., according to employment, income, or race, privileges).
This can render fundamental mobility rights a political matter and can result in unjust policies and schemes to manage society.
The government ought to focus on the provision of essential services, rather than changing the behaviour of its people.
7. Building a Complete Control System
Putting in place large surveillance regimes, even in the guise of transport management, lays the groundwork for abuse by repressive governments in the future. Governments change. Technologies don't. Future administrations may find it convenient to employ these systems for mass control without new laws.
We should not create surveillance tools that future administrations can exploit.
Conclusion
The Land Transport Management (Time of Use Charging) Amendment Bill is not merely "managing congestion." It is a paradigm shift to surveillance-based governance, penal taxation, and restriction of basic freedoms in New Zealand.
Rock the Vote NZ calls for the Select Committee to oppose this bill in its entirety. We invite Parliament to sponsor:
The basic principles of the Land Transport Management Act 2003.
Going freely without being spied upon, rejecting the “Nothing to hide, nothing to fear” fallacy.
A firm commitment to keeping New Zealanders' privacy and money issues secure.
Fiscal responsibility by not wasting taxpayers' money on harmful and unnecessary schemes.
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