National is calling on the Government to introduce urgent legislation to Parliament to give effect to their promised reductions in Road User Charges following last Monday’s announcement, National’s Transport spokesperson Simeon Brown says.

“Last week the Government finally woke up to the fact that New Zealanders are facing a cost of living crisis and reduced the amount of excise at the petrol pump by 25c per litre.

“Unfortunately, those who drive diesel vehicles and those in the trucking industry are still waiting for the promised relief.

“Determining what the temporary reduction in the RUC should be is a complicated calculation, however it is critical that this is undertaken as quickly as possible.

“More difficult is the fact that Section 85 of the Road User Charges Act requires the Government to give 42 days’ notice of any change in the RUC rates, meaning diesel vehicle owners will be waiting another six weeks before they get any kind of relief at the pump.

“The cost of moving goods and services around the country has a direct impact on the cost of living. The sooner these changes can be applied, the better for New Zealanders suffering from the rapidly increasing cost of living we are currently facing.”