Aussie Aussie Aussie...................................

[B1NZ]

Maybe it's time to really think about moving?

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2952114 ... our-wallet

Steep hikes in the price of petrol and car registrations are about to hit taxpayers hard in the pocket, as the government moves to bail out the financially troubled Accident Compensation Corporation.

Wage earners will also lose hundreds of dollars a year from their pay packets, as the ACC levy rises. The government is expected to announce the "substantial increases" on Wednesday.

On Friday, ACC revealed it had posted a $4.8 billion loss for the last financial year, in what is being described as the biggest corporate loss in New Zealand's history.

Cabinet will tomorrow approve a bailout plan that also aims to safeguard ACC's financial future. The proposed changes will be open to public discussion for four to five weeks before ACC makes recommendations to the government.

While motorists and wage earners will shoulder the burden, the rescue package also involves paring back entitlements and getting injured workers off the compensation scheme faster. Already, ACC has cut funding for some services, such as physiotherapy.

Wage earners currently pay an ACC levy of 1.7% of what they earn, up to $110,000 (any income above that does not attract a levy). That is set to rise to 2.5%.

The Sunday Star-Times understands the ACC levy for a family earning $38,000 is likely to rise by $304 a year, plus an extra $52 to register the family car and 4c a litre more at the fuel pump.

If the government chooses not to increase the ACC petrol excise, which is now 9c a litre, the ACC component of registering a car, now $168, will go up even more – possibly by as much as $107.

Someone on the average wage of $45,000 will pay $360 more a year to ACC, plus the extra fuel and vehicle registration costs. The ACC levy for those on $65,000 will go up about $520 a year while those earning $85,000 will pay $680 more.

To soften the blow for taxpayers, the government is expected to introduce the changes gradually, with higher car registration and levies likely to be implemented next June.

ACC chairman John Judge told the Star-Times ACC's debt was worth about $3000 for every New Zealander, and it was going to take a "hard-nosed" approach – and possibly up to 10 years – to get it into a sustainable position. This would require "substantial" levy increases and legislative change to get people off the scheme and back to work quicker.

"In the last five years we've lost $9b. We need to act today because this liability is like a mortgage – if we don't start paying it off tomorrow it gets bigger by $700 million-$800 million a year."

Judge said ACC would not slash entitlements "but we are going to make sure that you only get the entitlements that you are due and that you need".
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ACC Minister Nick Smith said the choices for the government were "pretty ugly".

"It is inevitable there will be levy increases," he said. "The government's preferred approach is to get savings out of ACC operationally and out of pulling back on some of the welfare-type entitlements ... Without change, ACC is on course to go broke.

"This $4.8b loss will go down in New Zealand history as the biggest corporate loss of any entity, public or private, and is actually bigger than any deficit that the government has run collectively across all portfolios."

ACC's total liabilities over the past four years has blown out from $9.4b to $23.8b, mostly due to an increasing number of claims, a widening of entitlements that could be claimed, such as self-harm, and the actual cost of meeting the claims.

Labour's ACC spokesman David Parker said the situation was not as gloomy as the government was projecting. The ACC's liabilities and costs were increasing but it was also the country's biggest insurer, and the cost blow-out could not simply be blamed on poor management.

The government could soften the blow for taxpayers by extending the date for the full funding of historic claims, which were due to come into effect in 2014

[GTTpower]

In the last five years we've lost $9b

Sums it up really. What kind of stupid investments are they making to lose that amount of taxpayers money. Granted the recession hit them hard, but over the last 5 years!

[rollaholic]

does anyone else think ACC levies for vehicles should be done by the driver, rather than by the vehicle

that is, you pay xyz in ACC levies to retain your drivers licence, since you can only drive one vehicle at a time

people with more than one car / bike whatever are penalised / subsidising the rest of the country

and no, i dont own more than one vehicle

[2jayzgte]

Basically National are putting a bailout for whats been done while Labour have been in control of ACC.I saw alot of this earlier on in the year I guess its another GOVT.F**K-up here and unfortunately for the rest of us we are the ones that pay for it....Go Figure.

I would like to see the people for the hands on running of ACC take some reponsibility but it looks like with all govt depts it wasn't my fault and they all find an excuse and don't man up and accept fault just sweep it under the carpet once they get found out.

[xsspeed]

I agree, as I can only drive one car at a time.

ACC is a bit of a joke, in that its filled beaurocrats getting paid to do jobs that they invented themselves.

Case in point is that although I have dislocated my shoulder 3 times, been reset in hospital twice, have been to rehab etc to avoid durgery but injure dit again.
I have then seen a surgeon who says yes you need surgery, and given all these details to ACC (otherwise god forbid they would have had to ask for them)
I am still waiting 7 weeks later for surfery approval from ACC as my case manager has not taken my file to the people who need to review it.
Then these people need to take 3 weeks to review a simple file - now I can understand that there may be quite a few files to get through but IMO the process is flawed. Someone shoul dbe able to make a call yep this is a valid claim - or no this looks suspect - pass it on to the review panel. At the moment from the sound sof things they are just burning money.

[Mr.Phreak]

ACC needs a no claim bonus

[xsspeed]

or user pays, heck I wouldn't mind having to pay for my injuries - thats why I have medical insurance. The problem at the moment it that even if you don't claim ACC if its an injury your insurance says they won't cover you - and just to go through ACC/Public health system. Thats another farce IMO

[tsoob]

Basically National are putting a bailout for whats been done while Labour have been in control of ACC.I saw alot of this earlier on in the year I guess its another GOVT.F**K-up here and unfortunately for the rest of us we are the ones that pay for it....Go Figure.

I would like to see the people for the hands on running of ACC take some reponsibility but it looks like with all govt depts it wasn't my fault and they all find an excuse and don't man up and accept fault just sweep it under the carpet once they get found out.

yeah because of labour we are a frigginb socialst state here in nz, there is a HUGE entitlement mindset problem that it has created that will take years to change

[deaf_rattle]

do sports players pay more acc?
i thought sports injuries rated highly in the number of claims?

[Bling]

Maybe it's time to really think about moving?

Thought crosses my mind most weeks

What bs I reckon, looks like i'll be paying 12 months rego the week before the increase though thats a huge jump in price, thankfully rego on hold is free

[sergei]

Sports injuries should not be covered fully by acc.
Same as damaging yourself due to drinking.

[sergei]

Another question - is boxing covered by ACC, and why? Why would you cover some one intentionally causing brain damage, as not side effect, but it is the whole point of such sport?

[KinLoud]

If you have lived in Oz you will know that people can sometimes take each other to court for compensation for injuries suffered.

There is no way that I want to see that sort of thing happening here.
Bailing out ACC is waaaay cheaper than any other system.

Ken

[roytarolla]

ACC is a bit of a joke, in that its filled beaurocrats getting paid to do jobs that they invented themselves.

That is the problem with ACC. If they stopped wasting $ they wouldn't have an issue.

For example a friend of mine broke his back and ACC have been getting his house modified to suit his wheelchair, ie A ramp and a couple of lowered benches and a new shower. Took 6 months before they even did anything and they spent $64k on project management for a <10k job.

[rolla_fxgt]

ACC is a bit of a joke, in that its filled beaurocrats getting paid to do jobs that they invented themselves.

That is the problem with ACC. If they stopped wasting $ they wouldn't have an issue.

For example a friend of mine broke his back and ACC have been getting his house modified to suit his wheelchair, ie A ramp and a couple of lowered benches and a new shower. Took 6 months before they even did anything and they spent $64k on project management for a <10k job.

I know they spent at least double the cost of my claim because of their stupid beauracracy.
I also have a friend who just started working there, and she gets paid $60k for being a glorified filing clerk, and telling the workers where to sit (I kid you not!)

Bring back competition for at leas the workers part of ACC, and fire the muppets who lost the money in the first place.

I'm seriously considering moving elsewhere in the world.

[matt dunn]

I also have a friend who just started working there, and she gets paid $60k for being a glorified filing clerk, and telling the workers where to sit (I kid you not!)

Yeah they seriously need to look at their wage bill.

I know someone who has been there for a very short time doing unskilled stuff,
and earned more when they started than all the people at my work do now after 12 years of service.

[macabre]

my mother inlaw used to work there, she said because of the UNLIMITED sickdays they are allowed alot of people were reguarly having mon and or fridays off work, ie a free long weekend and they used to talk about it openly. As a result someone else had to work sat to try and catch up with the case files that were not being processed on time.......... She ended up leaving because she was sick of the slackness and bullshit goin on there.

[rolla_fxgt]

my mother inlaw used to work there, she said because of the UNLIMITED sickdays they are allowed alot of people were reguarly having mon and or fridays off work, ie a free long weekend and they used to talk about it openly. As a result someone else had to work sat to try and catch up with the case files that were not being processed on time.......... She ended up leaving because she was sick of the slackness and bullshit goin on there.

and all the benefits they get, the Activa card loaded with cash for health purchases, and the fact they get quick treatment if on a public waiting list.

If it was up to me I'd fire everyone at ACC, and start again, no redundancy payments or right of appeal to legal bodies either.

[frost]

ACC is not the only problem in nz making me want to move, for some reason its like the govt, and bureaucracy makes it harder for small business to flourish, you just cant get a leg up without another % being taken from your profits,

i hate doll bludger's
i hate kiwi saver,
i hate silly acc levy's

shouldn't people working for government also get a pay cut when everyone else is getting there pay and/or hours cut, its like the word recession didn't affect them at all, yet the rest of us hard working folk have to scrimp,
could they not spread less caviar, or wipe with 5's instead of 20's, even take a 2.2ltr toyota camry taxi instead of a 5ltr two ton bmw, falcomodore,

the man is keeping us down

[2jayzgte]

I see the good old car rego's are up a fair whack from the last time I got one a year ago up about $40 and ACC levy is a good old $168.46c of that good work ACC and the GOVT,I'm struggling at work as it is but ACC and the GOVT please make my life a little more miserable cheers for that...You got a laugh no point in crying.... ....