Dr Eric Crampton: Finally proposals to set access charges

Getting from Auckland to Cathedral Cove means a two-and-a-half-hour drive over 178 kilometres, the last third of which is a windy path through the Coromandel.

Inland Revenue sets a $1.04 per kilometre mileage rate for business travel – a figure meant to include wear and tear on your vehicle as well as running costs. Running costs will include the charges the government sets for using the roads, which help to recoup the cost of building and maintaining those roads.