Written By: - Date published: 12:19 pm, December 1st, 2008 - 47 comments
Categories: national/act government, tax -
Tags: council of trade unions, peter conway
The Council of Trade Unions is calling on National to re-jig its tax package to give it more balance. And fair enough too – despite the media narrative about National’s ‘moderate’, ‘centrist’ policies the figures show its tax package is actually incredibly regressive.
In fact, you could argue it’s been explicitly designed to divert money out of the pockets of working families and into the pockets of the already very wealthy.
According to the CTU’s economist Peter Conway:
‘under the Government’s proposals a worker on $20,000 a year will pay $300 a year more tax in 2010 than what is set out in current legislation whereas someone on $500,000 a year will pay $9,202 less tax. This is unfair’.
‘A two-child low income family where the parents work 50 hours a week to earn $50,000 will also pay more tax of around $300 a year by 2010 whereas the high income family earning $120,000 in the same circumstances will pay $900 a year less tax.’
Yep, you read correctly. Under National’s tax plan 40% of the cash goes to the top 10% of income earners, and it’s being paid for by gutting your retirement savings and taking money off low-middle income families.
If National really were the moderate, sensible centrists the media keep telling us they are then they might consider the CTU’s advice and introduce fairer, more progressive tax cuts like Gordon Brown is in the UK. Somehow, I don’t see that happening.
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Scoopit!
Tane, I ask you to consider that 12% of taxpayers pay 51% of the tax take and then tell me that a plan where 40% of tax relief goes to 10% of taxpayers is unfair.
Kerry – Government is as much about making it possible for individuals to pay as it is paying for them if they can’t. Part of getting us to a point where more people can pay for themselves is ensuring excessive redistribution doesn’t remove incentives and screw up the economy. National and Labour differ in their view about what the balance is. Chill out and use some of your rich prick money to invest in an economic education and see if you still want to post angry-moron style drivel.
The top 10% of taxpayers happen to pay 46% of income tax, yet absorb far less than 46%, or even 10%, of government services. Is that fair? Is it fair that the bottom 47% pay 9%, yet absorb far more than 47%, let alone 9%, of government services? says Tim Ellis.
Tane, I ask you to consider that 12% of taxpayers pay 51% of the tax take and then tell me that a plan where 40% of tax relief goes to 10% of taxpayers is unfair. says Gustavo Trevellis.
We live in a capitalist system built on private property rights and state-imposed and maintained markets. These private property rights and state-supported markets are entirely a social construction, and they lead to radically unfair outcomes, such as the inequalities of wealth that cause 10% of taxpayers to pay 46% of income tax.
If you want to play the “oh it’s so unfair that the rich pay all this tax” line then I suggest you question how the rich came to be so rich in the first place. It is because the far greater mass on low-middle incomes allow them the system of property rights and state-supported markets to amass this wealth. A progressive tax system is a small price to pay.
Consider that before you whine about paying too much tax.
In the spirit of the season I think we should all bow our heads and give thanks to Camryn, Trellis et al – and especially Tim Ellis – for providing us with such a convincing new definition of “fairness”. Those of us so hopelessly brainwashed down the centuries by such losers as that paragon of deceit from Nazareth will welcome this illuminating revelation and immediately, I hope, dig deep and give till it hurts to any and all of our friends and acquaintances who are suffering the burden of paying higher taxes than our fortunate selves.
And doesn’t it warms our hearts to know that the Ellis turkey will be partitioned with scrupulous neo-fairness this season? Largest portions to the plumper family members who will gorge till ill and hoard the rest; those who toil at the most arduous and dangerous chores will cheerily gnaw on crusts; and any sick or infirm children will enjoy a subsistence platter of crumbs while the whole happy assembly joins hands and gives thanks for deliverance from the evil politics of envy.
Tim Ellis
You are a boring twat.
I’m willing to hazard a guess that the 55,000 majority that the right got this time was made up mainly of resentful, avaricious, arrogant and self-centred people who want to get rich at the expense of anyone who stands in their way.
They heard a bunch of whistles from the Herald and reacted like dogs as in dog eat dog.
In fact the most productive enterprises in NZ are getting big tax breaks, R&D and export incentives. Tax cuts that undermine the source of those incentives are not in their interests. Nor is burying your head on global warming, or sacrificing the EMA.
If you have any doubts, one word: Melamine.
NZ as clean green producer of healthy commodities makes wealth, cutting costs for US pension funds to plunder what’s left of NZ assets only makes funny money.
The ones who have scrambled for their tax dollars back and voted John Key in are the grasping, greedy, unproductive individualists who have bought into the neo-liberal dream just when it is turning into a nightmare. Its like a pyramid scheme. Everybody is on a contract which relies on rent from some developers scheme. Now all of the crappy little self-justifications for their anti-social behaviour suddenly goes down the drain.
Except that we have a Prankster in charge, handing out bikes to kids, micromanaging stranded Kiwis in Thailand, and sucking up to Bush and Bachelet. Promising riches to the grasping. Its theatre of the absurd.
Tax cuts from JK are just a starter. What he would really like is to be minister of tourism to welcome all his rich mates to the little old Kiwi taxhaven downunder. By then the only jobs around for the rest of us will be the shit jobs.
rave before you go round calling others twats. Perhaps its you who needs to have a hard look at themselves. Your views and opinions you may well believe in but the majority of this country do not and will not. Your views on almost everything are supported by a very small minority and not Labour, National, Act, United Future, the Maori party and not even the Greens.
As for your conspiracy theories they’re unsubstantiated and have no relevancy to most people in this country.
r0b, there are a range of issues that you’ve helpfully pointed out.
What can I say, I’m just a helpful kinda person.
Firstly, I’m not quite sure what your first point about education is.
My point in both cases was not the policies themselves, it was the cynical way The Herald was treating those pre election “promises” as election lines that didn’t need to be kept – in short as knowing lies.
Next, you ask me to defend National’s tax policy. I say again, it’s what the public voted for, in the expectation National would deliver it.
That’s just fine and dandy if you intend to hold National to all it’s pre election policy promises. Do you? Did you mean it when you said – “Amid all the shrieks and cries of broken promises in the past, why should National change a policy it clearly signaled before the election?” – or are you going to be selective in holding National to its promises?
ak, What a post!!!!
Post of the month, no doubt. That was awseome.
Especially:
“And doesn’t it warms our hearts to know that the Ellis turkey will be partitioned with scrupulous neo-fairness this season? Largest portions to the plumper family members who will gorge till ill and hoard the rest”
That was a genuine laugh out loud.
John Key: Steals from the poor to give to the rich.
illuminatedtiger: Steals from the eloquent to look smarter than s/he is.
Camryn – one thing i can guarantee for you and thats I will be doing bugger all with my money while dumb and dumber are running the show……
I look forward to the watching the useless National/act/maori/united government fall on its arse….and judging by Keys performance overseas (hasnt done anything in NZ yet) it wont be long.
Oh does anyone know when John starts as PM???? Perhaps its after his next trip away????
PS – I have to wonder about some of the supposed “rich” pricks who bitch and moan about the tax they pay…i for one have never ever worried about the amount of tax i pay…..and I cant imagine any decent person with a few dollers worrying about it either!!!