Tale of two taxes hits cinema

A multimillion-dollar deal is apparently in the works relating to the Reading Cinemas site in Wellington. (Image: NZME)

Mon, 26 Feb 2024

The Wellington city council-Reading Cinemas deal goes to show most local councillors would rather give $32 million to a Nasdaq-listed company than levy a land tax on their ratepayers. Reading Cinemas was shut down for earthquake strengthening in 2019. Onlookers spent most of the first year in bemusement, wondering what weird quirk of earthquake-testing science required the cinema to be shut down but allowed the McDonald’s attached to stay open. By 2022, the reaction of many Wellingtonians was less one of bemusement and more one...

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