David Farrar looks at some implications of the Electoral Finance Act.

“There are a growing number of very very worried MPs, as the ramifications of the Electoral Finance Act become clearer - specifically the extension of the regulated period from 90 days to all of 2008…

…Causing even more fear, is the fact the Electoral Commission will not pre-approve material (which is not their role).  I am told by a (non National) MP that they will not rule in advance on whether a particular publication will be an election expense or not.  Instead they will keep a file of all complaints about publications, and after the election determine if they are expenses or not.

Now one sees why MPs are starting to panic. Almost every single MP spends more than $20,000 a year on taxpayer funded publications. In fact some MPs have *already* spent more than $20,000.  And if their publications are deemed election expenses, then they are facing either prosecution for over-spending, or much much worse - electoral petitions to over-turn their re-election.”

Read the full article here.  It is a must read.  This is what we’ve been saying from the beginning, the Electoral Finance Act is so convoluted, confusing and vague that people will rather sit back and say nothing rather than have their say and stand to be prosecuted on some small aspect of the new law.