Rehette Stoltz: Local Government NZ President and Gisborne Mayor on National's proposed alternative to a bed tax

There's a view National's alternative to a bed tax would remove some pressure on smaller councils.  

The party's pledging to re-set the International Visitor Levy, putting aside $100 million a year for conservation and $50 million for tourism.  

The rest would go to councils, divvied up based on how many international visitor nights they host.  

Local Government New Zealand President Rehette Stoltz —who's the mayor of Gisborne— told Mike Hosking this allocates it fairly across the country.  

She says $600,000 or $700,000 represents a 1% rate rise for some smaller councils. 

There are some councils who are unhappy with the proposal, with both the Mayors of Auckland and Queenstown saying they would be better off under a bed tax. 

But Stoltz says there's a chance future discussions could fix where the policy falls short. 

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