tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post8094678789804247742..comments2024-03-22T11:55:50.335+13:00Comments on Not PC: It’s not investors driving up house prices [updated]Peter Cresswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10699845031503699181noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-70623935467769332542014-07-23T12:51:31.119+12:002014-07-23T12:51:31.119+12:00Another under-reported tax is the supply monopoly ...Another under-reported tax is the supply monopoly that Fletchers and others have won for themselves. For example, plumbers have to get taps etc. at multiples of the price of other similar quality ones simply to comply with the consent circle-jerk.<br />J Cuttance Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-12170505247055388442014-07-23T10:29:31.595+12:002014-07-23T10:29:31.595+12:00Just for the renovation of our holiday house in So...Just for the renovation of our holiday house in Sounds, the cost of consents, plus cost of all engineering & draughting we had done *to get* the consents, came in at $20,000. Left alone with our very competent builder, and his history of well constructed buildings, we would probably have done about $3,000 - $5,000 of engineering work to ensure site was 'safe' (steep hillside), and to design the steel portals around big windows. We received no value at all from the difference, and are not one bit safer for it.Mark Hubbardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02541153163041831880noreply@blogger.com