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The Rock is moving

Written By: - Date published: 11:09 am, June 22nd, 2021 - 5 comments

Since real estate is that machine that relentlessly powers our society and most of our economy, it’s already worth checking whether this governments’ recent policy changes are starting to have some of its intended effects.

Taxpayer’s Union comrades celebrate glorious Socialist revolution

Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, May 22nd, 2021 - 31 comments

It is good to see our comrades in the Taxpayers Union celebrate the glorious Socialist revolution that is currently engulfing Aotearoa.

C’mon National!

Written By: - Date published: 1:27 pm, May 17th, 2021 - 20 comments

Forlorn for now though they may be, this is the advice National MPs need right now.

Too much too far?

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, April 23rd, 2021 - 97 comments

As we lead up to Budget 2021, there’s much more shape to the whole direction of this government.

What is Socialism – a primer for idiots

Written By: - Date published: 9:09 am, April 5th, 2021 - 163 comments

Merchant Banker Troy Bowker has accused the Government of engaging in Socialist wealth redistribution ideology by not extending to landlords a state supported loan guarantee scheme and by implementing relatively modest wealth redistribution measures.

 

About Grant Robertson’s bright line tax statement

Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, March 28th, 2021 - 217 comments

Media has been abuzz with comment about how last election Grant Robertson has backtracked on a promise on not extending the bright line test.  Should politicians stick to their pronouncements no matter what?  Or should they change their minds if circumstances demand a change in course?

The housing crisis and the Government’s response

Written By: - Date published: 9:28 am, March 25th, 2021 - 163 comments

The Government’s housing policy announcements have been attacked by the right and landlords as being an attack on rights and business, and by elements of the left for being too timid.  Which suggests that the announcements are quite well pitched.

National and the Greens on how to solve the housing crisis

Written By: - Date published: 11:04 am, March 17th, 2021 - 71 comments

Over the past week National and the Greens have released housing policy designed to address the country’s current housing crisis.  National’s are tired and either reflect what is already happening or reinforce their doctrinal view of the world.  The Green’s proposals are more radical and reflect steps that Micky Savage and the First Labour Government took in 1935.

The Unbearable Lightness of the Bright-Line Test

Written By: - Date published: 4:20 pm, March 13th, 2021 - 96 comments

The bright-line test is a red herring and does nothing to deter housing speculation.

So! You want a “plan”?

Written By: - Date published: 4:36 pm, March 11th, 2021 - 50 comments

Expecting a bit much aren’t you? We haven’t had that since Muldoon. At least he had them. The kind of people now asking for a plan were those who complained about governments that “interfered with the sacred ‘free market’” and screamed about “central planning”, “picking winners”, “protectionism” etc. They prefer just getting cheap labour to give the illusion of economic growth. And build a cycleway!

So, You Want To Buy Your First Home?

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, March 7th, 2021 - 75 comments

Money does not grow on trees, it grows on houses. It is pure magic!

Shock horror, trickle down does not work

Written By: - Date published: 7:31 am, December 18th, 2020 - 54 comments

In yet another study academics at the London School of Economics have concluded that trickle down leads to higher income inequality but do not have any significant effect on economic growth or unemployment.

Tranquillum

Written By: - Date published: 7:28 pm, December 6th, 2020 - 134 comments

Don’t expect a jellyfish to grow a spine, they just bob along on the current and keep moving, gently, slowly, kindly.

No Right Turn: the obvious question

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, November 23rd, 2020 - 20 comments

One in four property speculators aren’t paying the bright-line tax.

Will consensus building paralyse Ardern?

Written By: - Date published: 7:14 am, October 21st, 2020 - 33 comments

Jacinda Ardern aims to bet both ways on our future – transforming Aotearoa to rid us of inequality and poverty, and building consensus. She has won a mandate with her historic, landslide victory but can she do both? My question is whether Labour are willing to do that because of her desire to maintain consensus and not rock the waka.

NZ election 2020: Labour win is a watershed moment in the country’s history

Written By: - Date published: 12:27 am, October 20th, 2020 - 47 comments

The 2020 election was more than just a victory for Labour and more than a crushing defeat for the National Party (New Zealand’s main centre-right political party). This result marks a significant watershed in New Zealand politics which will likely have implications long after this parliamentary term.

Backbench National MP proposes radical new tax to address deficit *

Written By: - Date published: 6:23 pm, October 14th, 2020 - 29 comments

* but I am not sure that all of his caucus colleagues would be happy with the proposal.

Latest UMR Poll – National sinking

Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, October 14th, 2020 - 180 comments

Leaked results of the latest UMR poll suggests that National is under 30% and that Judith Collins campaign techniques are not working.  She responded by calling the Prime Minister a liar and fat shaming the population.

National’s lolly scramble tax cuts

Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, September 19th, 2020 - 55 comments

Despite claiming that the PREFU figures were catastrophic and despite stating a month ago that it would not do this National has come out with a policy of temporary tax cuts favouring the rich.  They must be desperate.

Taxpayer’s Union is wasting taxpayers’ money

Written By: - Date published: 9:24 am, September 15th, 2020 - 35 comments

The Taxpayer’s Union, which claims to be opposed to Government waste, is wasting taxpayer’s resources by lodging a spurious complaint with the Broadcasting Standards Authority against Labour’s free apprenticeship policy.

The Greens sticking to their guns (and their values)

Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, September 11th, 2020 - 157 comments

The Greens just boldly stepped up their election campaign.

Labour announces tax policies

Written By: - Date published: 12:55 pm, September 9th, 2020 - 98 comments

Labour and the Greens have both recently announced taxation policies.  Meanwhile there is no sign of any fiscal policy or alternative budget from National.

Will Jacinda Ardern meet her promise to transform?

Written By: - Date published: 6:53 am, September 4th, 2020 - 62 comments

Neoliberalism has run its course and displayed its profound inability to address inequality issues. It makes the poor get ever poorer while the affluent top 10% ticks of society get bloated and increasingly insufferable on untaxed capital gains. In 2017 Jacinda Ardern set a goal of bringing all children out of poverty within six years. So how is that going? And what are the next steps?

Paora Goldsmith in fake news scandal

Written By: - Date published: 8:41 am, June 29th, 2020 - 33 comments

Paora Goldsmith has shown either that he is lacking in basic numeracy and literacy skills or that he is prepared to tell porkies for political advantage.

What would President Biden do?

Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, May 4th, 2020 - 59 comments

With President Trump doing what we all expected, and killing 67,000 people and counting through chronic poor leadership, and utterly ruining the U.S. economy as well, it’s time to look at what policies the alternative candidate has on offer.

Eat the rich

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, April 22nd, 2020 - 47 comments

Richard Branson, who has arranged his affairs so that he pays tax to no government, is upset that Governments are not bailing his empire out. And an idea has been floated to allow billionaires to set up boltholes in New Zealand.

The right become socialists as Covid-19 bites

Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, March 17th, 2020 - 38 comments

The right, elements of which have thought the best thing to do to the state is weaken it that badly that they could then drown it in a bathtub, are rethinking and now realise that a well resourced, active and engaged State is actually a life saver.

Bridges thinks the solution to Covid 19 is tax cuts

Written By: - Date published: 8:14 am, March 5th, 2020 - 64 comments

Simon Bridges thinks that tax cuts are the best way to address financial stress caused by businesses by the Covid 19 epidemic.  Even though businesses under financial stress will be paying little if any tax and a tax cut would have little if any effect.

National’s big economic policy announcement

Written By: - Date published: 1:42 pm, February 17th, 2020 - 83 comments

Simon Bridges has claimed that the average wage earner in the country pays almost 33c in the dollar in taxes. Spoiler alert, they do not.

National is not counting its chickens for granted

Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, February 17th, 2020 - 27 comments

National will announce today  that tax cuts will be a major policy plank for the next election.

Steve Mnuchin, not Greta Thunberg, needs to go back to school

Written By: - Date published: 10:52 am, January 27th, 2020 - 11 comments

US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has attacked Greta Thunberg for not understanding the economics of climate change.  But he has then been roundly criticised by a number of people, including his wife.

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