WEDNESDAY, 18 DECEMBER 2002
The Christchurch City Council is urging
the Government not to sign away local councils’ rights to decide on how
essential services are provided. The
council, like many other local bodies in New Zealand, is concerned about how
the Government is handing the General Agreement on Trade in Services (Gats).
Promoted by the World Trade Organization
and signed in 1994, Gats aims to remove government regulations which are
regarded as “unnecessary barriers” to trade and inherently anti-competitive.
It applies to 160 service sectors, many
of which are the responsibility, directly or indirectly, of local government.
Signatory governments are being
encouraged to increase the range of services covered by the deal.
According to a report discussed at the
city council’s monthly meeting, the Gats’ aim of getting a “progressively
higher level of liberalization” in the service sector could cover water and
sewerage, waste management, zoning regulations, and library and other community
services such as child care.
Council strategy and finance committee
chairman Alister James said that as new sectors were added to the Gats
agreement, the Government could limit the amount of access overseas providers
had.
“But all limits and exceptions must be
set when a country initially offers a sector,” he said.
“After that, you can only get new limits
if you negotiate compensation with all the countries which have a right to
enter that market.
“That would be virtually impossible, so
it’s really important to get it right before a sector becomes part of Gats.”
The council wants the Government to take
another look at the way World Trade Organization deals have been working so
far.
It says it is wrong that local government has not had a chance to influence the talks and how they are being approached.