No formula for extra roading money

The Government has no fixed way of deciding where extra funds from higher petrol taxes will be spent across the country, Prime Minister John Key says.A  3 cents a litre increase to the excise on petrol comes into effect in July and will be followed by two more 3c increases in the next two Julys taking the tax take (exclusive of GST) to 59.5c a litre by mid-2015.The average driver could face paying $135 extra over the next three years.One of the reasons the petrol tax needed to rise was because more fuel-efficient cars were meaning motorists were paying less tax, Key told TVNZ's Breakfast.He said the extra money would go into the Land Transport Fund, where it would then be split into roading and public transport projects."There's no fixed formula for how the money will be split up," he told Breakfast show."For instance, Wellington's going to get a lot soon because you've got the Kapiti expressway being built and obviously Transmission Gully over time."He said the country needed more roads and public transport, and it was a game of "catch-up" trying to keep up with the demand.ROADING PRIORITIESThe existing Roads of National Significance are:Puhoi to Wellsford - SH1Completing the Western Ring Route - SH16 and SH20Victoria Park Tunnel, Auckland - SH1Waikato Expressway - SH1Tauranga Eastern Link - SH2Wellington Northern Corridor - SH1Christchurch Motorways