Sorting out the Ministers Housing

There is one simple way to sort out Ministerial Housing that is transparent to all, and resolves the problem for ever.

First, sell all the Ministerial Houses except Premier House. This would probably net quite a lot of money, as the houses include a large home on a very large section in Bolton Street, several Thorndon townhouses, and prime apartments. Or at the least, it would save a lot on the cost of leasing them.

Next, add a weekly allowance onto the Ministers salaries to compensate for the loss of housing. $400 a week should cover the cost of renting a basic apartment or home. Any rental amount over that should be able to be claimed back against income tax.

Finally, remove the chauffer driven cars except for on official business. And not replace them with taxi chits. That way Ministers cannot use them to get to and from Parliament each day and rent or buy in cheaper suburbs, but transfer the cost by getting chauffered from Wainuiomata or Otaki each day.