Economy

Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour

Categories under Economy

Greens announce income guarantee and wealth tax policy

Written By: - Date published: 6:31 pm, June 11th, 2023 - 65 comments

The Green Party has today announced an income guarantee and a wealth tax.

Our Great De-Leveraging

Written By: - Date published: 5:05 pm, June 4th, 2023 - 13 comments

Debt is the most destructive and addictive form of economic behaviour we have in New Zealand. And mortgages are New Zealand’s very high grade heroin and we are being forced to come down off a most spectacular high into a rage-inducing forced withdrawal.

Why We Need Universalism, Not Tax Cuts, To Solve The Cost-Of-Living Crisis

Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, June 1st, 2023 - 64 comments

The pros & cons of tax cuts vs. universalism suggest that universalism might be universally better for New Zealand.

Superannuation policy becomes political

Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, May 29th, 2023 - 68 comments

National’s promise to increase the age of retirement and likely cuts to Cullen fund contributions and state Kiwisaver payments have been seized on by Labour as evidence that National does not care about ordinary people.

The fast and the really furious

Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, May 24th, 2023 - 30 comments

Christopher Luxon had no idea that National has recently used artificially generated images in what appears to be a crude attempt to avoid historical issues National has had with respecting the intellectual property rights of artists.

The real coalition of chaos

Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, May 23rd, 2023 - 22 comments

National has hatched on its attack line which we will hear about a lot over the next few months. But it may have a problem. Because the phrase “coalition of chaos” clearly applies to its leadership team. 

How come government doesn’t improve our economy?

Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, May 21st, 2023 - 41 comments

When we continue to spend our money on stupid stuff, we get a dumb country.

Our heat battery in the oceans

Written By: - Date published: 10:04 am, May 19th, 2023 - 28 comments

Almost all of the extra heat that humans have captured by adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere over the last few centuries has wound up warming the deep oceans. We’re now starting to feel the effects of that excess heat.

National thinks tax cut good, reduction in Government charges bad

Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, May 19th, 2023 - 77 comments

National has promised to reverse the removal of prescription charges even though it has a strong policy support and is an example of the state taking less of individuals’ private wealth.

Green Budget Day 2023

Written By: - Date published: 11:27 am, May 18th, 2023 - 15 comments

“All of these things were impossible, until they weren’t” – Chloe Swarbrick

Budget day

Written By: - Date published: 9:55 am, May 18th, 2023 - 49 comments

Today is Budget Day with the proceedings kicking off at 2 pm.

National's Policy Machine is a thing to behold

Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, May 16th, 2023 - 99 comments

National’s latest policy brainstorm is to print out and mail to every taxpayer information they could obtain by using Google and MyIRD.

What Do The Maori Party Want Anyway?

Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, May 12th, 2023 - 174 comments

Since they’re touted as 2023’s electoral ‘Kingmakers’, it’s time to understand what the Maori Party really want.

Really Small States in Really Big Conflicts

Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, May 9th, 2023 - 16 comments

In case we just missed it, New Zealand really has picked a side. Prime Minister Hipkins will head to the NATO summit in Lithuania together with Australia, Japan and South Korean leaders. Also Vladimir Zelinskyy is intending to go as well.

How Labour Does Less And Still Wins

Written By: - Date published: 11:21 am, May 4th, 2023 - 21 comments

Prime Minister Hipkins has put Labour on course to win a third term. Here’s how.

Where Is New Zealand Extremism Going?

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, April 28th, 2023 - 78 comments

I’ve worked my way through two books recently, both on extremist sects, one about New Zealand groups and one about those in the United States of America. It’s startling.

Poor Regulation Is Burning This Government Down

Written By: - Date published: 10:41 am, April 28th, 2023 - 37 comments

This government has within its power the ability to alter the crippling cost of living increases we now face. If they don’t do the political job they can do with prices, they will lose power at the election.

Why a Capital Gains tax is necessary

Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, April 27th, 2023 - 186 comments

With the release by David Parker of a report showing that  the wealthiest New Zealanders pay tax at much less than half the rate of other Kiwis is it time to again debate the virtue of a comprehensive Capital Gains Tax.

Taihoa on AUKUS Pillar 2

Written By: - Date published: 10:16 pm, April 24th, 2023 - 63 comments

Andrew Little says our government is willing to “explore” participating in AUKUS Pillar 2, but “foreign or local voices would not be a factor.” Our leaders will decide he says. I say “taihoa.”

Debate of the Day: should farms be regulated to centre climate action and nature?

Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, April 24th, 2023 - 44 comments

In election year, National’s farming regulations bonfire flies in the face of climate action and ecological restoration.

National despairs as inflation rate drops

Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, April 21st, 2023 - 36 comments

Yesterday Statistics New Zealand dealt a rather large blow to National’s election chances when it announced that the latest rate of inflation was 6.7%, a significant drop below the previous rate.

Really Small States in Really Big Conflicts

Written By: - Date published: 7:50 pm, April 20th, 2023 - 10 comments

We didn’t need the Russian invasion of Ukraine to tell us that great power competition is back, since China and the United States  and Russia had been going at it well before even COVID temporarily messed up the multilateral trade system upon which we had built our little country. But it’s made it worse, and so we’re picking a side, and that side is NATO.

Lonely on the right side of history?

Written By: - Date published: 11:07 am, April 17th, 2023 - 18 comments

Musing after the recent IMF/World Bank meetings, Former White house economist and US Treasury secretary Larry Summers said “it’s looking a bit lonely on the right side of history..as others are increasingly banding together in a whole range of structures.”

What does Luxon think about minimum wage increases and holidays?

Written By: - Date published: 7:58 am, April 13th, 2023 - 47 comments

It is hard to reconcile Christopher Luxon’s deep christian beliefs with his desire to trash Easter Sunday as a holiday or to refuse to support increases in the minimum wage.

An Easter Meditation

Written By: - Date published: 10:02 pm, April 7th, 2023 - 16 comments

In his …and forgive them their debts, my favourite economist and Jubilee advocate Michael Hudson states that Jesus driving the money-changers from the Temple was “the act that inspired the city leaders to plot his death.”

Go well Jacinda

Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, April 5th, 2023 - 91 comments

Today is Jacinda’s official last day on the job as a member of Parliament.

RMA reform will not solve the climate crisis

Written By: - Date published: 10:26 am, April 4th, 2023 - 25 comments

National has proposed RMA reform as the basis for accelerating the roll out of renewable energy generation.  It appears that it has never met a problem for which the solution is either a tax cut or RMA reform.

We should have a chat about Artificial Intelligence

Written By: - Date published: 10:48 am, April 2nd, 2023 - 36 comments

As we adjust to the advent of civilisation threatening climate change there is a new threat that is emerging, the unregulated development of artificial intelligence.

The Drums of War – Again

Written By: - Date published: 4:12 pm, March 20th, 2023 - 38 comments

On 20 March 2003 the US invaded Iraq, on the basis that it had and could use weapons of mass destruction. That was a lie. Australia joined President Bush ‘coalition of the willing’, New Zealand did not. The drums of war beat strong then, they are doing so again now. This time China is the target.

Wailing and Nashing of teeth

Written By: - Date published: 12:46 pm, March 16th, 2023 - 66 comments

It is pretty clear to me that leaders acting tough and beating up on members of their team leads to political advantage. I realised this back in 2010 when my mate Chris Carter succumbed to intense personal pressure and did a couple of silly things. Then leader Phil Goff went to town on Carter who […]

The Greens backing teachers’ demands

Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, March 16th, 2023 - 10 comments

The Government needs to come to the table and ensure teacher pay keeps pace with the rising cost of putting food on the table, paying the rent, and keeping the house warm.

But, it’s important to remember that this is not just about pay. There are serious issues around funding and understaffing, ratios and sick leave.

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