Andrew von Dadelszen Former Regional Councillor

I read with concern on the Sunlive website (29/04/13) that Tauranga City Council is considering helping to fund a Mauao Cultural Centre that will take advantage of the cruise ship visitors to our wonderful city. Don't get me wrong – I am strongly in favour of such a venture, but it must not have ratepayer input. This is a commercial venture that is long overdue for our city. Local Maori are now very well funded with treaty settlement cash and land, and I am sure that a good business case can be made.

For me, it is outrageous that it should be run by a 'Charitable Trust”. Don't get me started – it is time that our charitable trust laws are changed. I totally support the Not-for-Profit sector, but when a NFP earns money from a commercial venture that activity should pay tax, along with the rest of us. These commercial ventures compete with the private sector, making it an unfair competitive advantage. Maori trusts are no different. Most treaty settlement money seems to be channelled into trust structures, and this is adding to the tax burden of tax-paying New Zealanders.

Another example of this inequity is the Seventh Day Adventist-owned Sanitarium Health Foods, which pays NO tax on its profits, in both Australia and New Zealand. This tax exemption has been widely criticised, as it is considered unfair to their competitors. The average kiwi pays his taxes, and there should be 'no free lunches” for any commercial venture.

If you have a view on this or any other local government issue, I invite you to email me at: andrew@vond.co.nz , or visit: www.vond.co.nz