23 Sep 2008

GST petition goes ahead in Whangarei

8:50 pm on 23 September 2008

A petition seeking the abolition of GST on basic food items has grown by hundreds of signatures in Whangarei on Tuesday.

The Residents Action Movement, which is running candidates in the forthcoming elections, defied a local bylaw and set up a stall and signs in the city's mall at lunch time.

A small crowd was waiting to sign the petition before the group arrived, and several hundred flocked to sign over several hours.

Whangarei council officials had words with the organisers, warning them they were flouting a rule that makes the mall a politics-free zone.

But organisers say they are on a peaceful mission, and the question of GST on food transcends party politics.