National freight costs to rise

Freight rates will rise about 1.4 per cent because of the regional fuel tax proposed in the Budget, the Road Transport Forum estimates.

The increase is on top of the 11 per cent to 18 per cent increase in heavy-vehicle road user charges from April 1 which has already begun to force freight costs up.

"This is a 1.4 per cent tax on freight to fund passenger transport in Auckland," said chief executive Tony Friedlander. He said the tax was "lunacy".

Because so many imports and exports went through Auckland, people well outside Auckland would end up paying for passenger transport they would never use.