The media must feel like this is becoming a daily event, where they beat up on Simon Bridges because of the crazy things he says …
The latest episode includes his brazen claim that the increases in rentals are all Labour’s fault because of tax rises.
TVNZ did not respond positively …
From the article:
National leader Simon Bridges blames new taxes and regulations introduced by the current government for rents rising two-and-a-half times faster this year than under National, though he struggled to name the taxes behind the rise.
Under the previous National government, rents rose $12 to $13 per annum compared with a $30 rise this year.
Mr Bridges said the cumulative effect of a bunch of regulations and taxes was behind the rise, causing some landlords to exit the market and supply of rental properties to be reduced.
“You’ve got the extension to the bright-line test, you’ve got a potential capital gains tax, there’s another one there if I catch my breath and think about it,” he said on Breakfast.
“You’ve got a bunch of regulations, whether it’s healthy homes, whether it’s residential tenancy act, I’m not saying they and every single part of them are terrible but what you do see cumulatively when you do those things, is tax, cost that goes on landlords.”
Pressed on further taxes, Mr Bridges asked Breakfast co-host Jack Tame: “Are you saying there are not new taxes?”
“You can’t even name them,” Tame replied.
“Well I have, (brightline) is effectively is an extension of a tax, there’s others there is well,” Mr Bridges said.
The bright line test was actually imposed by National. Sure Labour has extended the period that it will apply to but this should actually slow down the sale of rental properties, not speed them up.
And Twyford’s comment, that it is a supply problem and will take time to resolve is much more coherent.
Bridges other faux pas is to refuse to apologise for what happened at Pike River. How difficult is it to give an apology?
On the 8th anniversary of the explosion …
From Radio New Zealand:
… Mr Bridges told Morning Report he didn’t believe the families were owed an apology from the current or previous government.
“I don’t think so,” he said, “because I think what is true is the one thing that honours the legacy of these 29 men and their families best is what happened with the Royal Commission with an independent health and safety taskforce and then the most comprehensive health and safety changes in the history of New Zealand, particularly in mining, but in others areas as well.
“I think that’s what honours the legacy of these men,” he said.
“In terms of the re-entry of the mine, we wanted to do it, but the advice was universal and clear that it wasn’t the thing to do.
“If he (Mr Little) has different information, that is good, I’m not against that but safety must be at the front of this,” Mr Bridges said.
However the head of the Pike River Families Group Committee, Carol Rose, said while the previous National government took steps to change health and safety regulations, it did nothing to bring the bodies of the 29 men home.
“I was a little bit offended to hear him talking about the legacy to those 29 men. We felt the National government did everything they could do to prevent the reclamation of the drift and the recovery of any of the bodies.
“The families have not only been let down, it’s every worker in New Zealand that has been let down by that National government. It’s about every New Zealander having the confidence that the government of the day will do its best to keep everybody safe in the workplace and if things do go wrong, they’ll do everything they can to find out what happened, why it happened and how they’ll stop it from happening again,” she said.
If he is looking for Government action that caused or contributed to the whole fiasco there are many examples. For one how about Worksafe’s decision to withdraw the prosecutions against Boss head Peter Whittall, a decision the Supreme Court ruled to be illegal?
And to top things off he has claimed that most Pike River miners families oppose the re-entry. Good luck proving that.
Some advice for Simon, if you are going to go out and blame Labour for things make sure that you at least have a coherent explanation for it. And learn to eat humble pie. It will make you look more like a human.
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