Sure it’s a US analysis, but it’s very likely the same broad conclusions would also apply here.
Compared to NZ, US income taxes are much more progressive. There is zero income tax for the first few thousand dollars ($6000 single, $12000 married, plus a few more thousand for every dependent in 2018, double that for 2019), then tax rates are much lower for every bracket up to several hundred grand income, then US rates go higher than NZ. The US also taxes capital gains in an income progressive way.
However, the US also has very regressive “payroll taxes” to fund Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Unemployment insurance, at a flat rate that’s currently 12.6% on the first $130k, then zero above that. By semantic fuckery, this is somehow not income tax, just like NZ’s similarly structured ACC earner’s levy is somehow not income tax.
Then there’s all the state and local income and sales taxes in the US, which can be very regressive. Just like NZ’s GST usually ends up being quite regressive.
thankfully the progressive taxation of the current US left 60 major companies (up 30 – thanks orange despot) with no taxes at all to pay and some even have negative taxes.
but still the tax cuts for the middle class benefited mightily the 00.1% and their enablers.
Who would’ave thunk. Paul Ryan, Mitch MCconnell and the orange menace did.
everyone else? time to fasten you belt. But as a good conman would say, There are suckers everywhere and generally they vote for ‘tax cuts’ with the promise of full services.
It probably is not applicable to New Zealand. Although US taxes are more steeply progressive, they get far less as a percentage of GDP. Around 20% compared to around 30% in New Zealand, even though our top rate is 33%.
The reason being three fold. First, it is actually quite hard to avoid taxes in New Zealand. Second (and much more important) there are very few exemptions in the NZ system, whereas the US tax system is shot full of them, mostly benefitting the wealthy. For instance high depreciation rates for private jets, allegedly to boost the aircraft industry. Third, we have a very broad based GST. Basically no-one can avoid it.
The wealthy mostly avoid tax through all sorts of exemption in the USA. More like Greece. Where tax avoidance by the wealthy was also a national sport.
A simpler tax system here makes avoidance harder. Though we have some big anomalies on the “broadness” of our system.
We tax work and consumption, rather than capital accumulation and wealth.
I’d love to see a recent similar study done here in New Zealand, taking into account all sources of income (including capital gains, which will be kinda hard since they don’t even have to be declared as income here), and all taxes and levies.
I doubt much has changed since the most recent studies I’m aware of, like Rob Salmond’s work from 2011ish.
The high rate of GST is a somewhat regressive tax – the wealthy don’t pay it on some big-ticket items they spend money on, holiday and rental homes, overseas holidays are just the first that come to mind. Whereas for lower income groups, the major GST-exempt expenditures are rent or mortgage interest.
edit: It’s also worth noting that in the US, company dividends are taxed twice, once at the company level (for those that can’t somehow avoid paying tax on their profits) and once at the individual level. Whereas in NZ they’re effectively only taxed once through the imputation credits system.
Consider that most OECD countries pay a substantial part of their citizens’ healthcare costs from taxes, but the US does not. The average OECD spend on healthcare is around 8ish% of GDP, the US is around 17ish%. Add the healthcare cost burden onto the US tax burden, and the US doesn’t look so low tax anymore.
When you take state taxes health insurance, health cover, higher education and no pension. Then the % of income required for what we average out at 25% the US people pay more than double what we pay for services. Bulk buying of health education etc leaves more money in our pockets.
Morena, all. Reason will be taking the day off. Thank you though for at least trying to put some context around your behaviour, however, a long rant referring to multiple sexual assaults was not what was required. Welcome back tomorrow, if you show some restraint.
WtB, your comment was tied to Reason’s and when it went to trash I think yours did too. But nice Frankie Boyle reference all the same.
Yeah, it’s only a short holiday because I think a lie down and a cuppa is what’s needed, not the big ban hammer.
I trust you’ve been watching Frankie’s New World Order? One of the best political shows on telly; George Monbiot on the last episode was particularly good. Monbiot’s best line is around the 25 minute mark, but the whole ep is worth watching.
There’s no intention to slur that I can see, Francesca, and I thought empathy was shown in the comments. However, point taken. It’s best not to make assumptions.
I think we should stop putting mental health in the no-go zone, too sensitive to mention; a slur. I believe that we are all slightly mad at present, no joking. Having mental health problems is like being a war veteran, you have been scarred by events that have affected you.
Suggesting that someone is off their trolley, a sandwich short of a picnic, forgotten the pills, should be a prelude to the words Take care, mate or such,
just an acknowledgment of the person. There is no right thing to say that wil guarantee not to annoy so keep it loose.
We are all on the brink at present and trying hard to not walk too close. If someone has gone over it would be kinder and more embracing to acknowledge it in the nature of ‘There but for God go I’.
Just a thought. But this PC thing about so many conditions that are in plain view just gives me a pain. Notice a problem and consider the person, don’t pretend that there is no problem or difference.
The reason I am so open about being an Aspie, or PTSD – basically being a reactive specky git… is I am sick of people acting like we don’t exist, or we should be seen and not heard, or tiptoed around…
All the people all my life who’d smugly sneer and snipe behind their hands. The cool kids of several industries, largely talentless hacks.
I hope that I, thorough unashamedly being myself, encourage other Aspies and or troubled minds to stop being shrinking violets, and rightfully take their place at the table as valid and useful members of society.
It’s not easy trying to help everyone else and being called a retard
WTB – in my experience, only the insecure feel the need to call somebody else ‘retard’.
So I like your paragraph: “All the people all my life who’d smugly sneer and snipe behind their hands. The cool kids of several industries, largely talentless hacks.”
Good one.
I’m reminded how feminists decided to ‘own’ the word bitch so as to take away the power of that word. I think many regard it when said angrily as an affirmation. It usually describes a woman who has something of importance to say and speaks her mind, and gets things done.
I think black people use the ‘n’ word about each other a bit like a bloke saying to a friend, ‘You old bastard’. But black people wouldn’t accept the ‘n’ word in common usage. Their past as in Strange Fruit is too painful, (and present).
Very interesting to see almost no pre-Budget announcements.
This is a departure from way, way back.
It tells me with mental health, capital gains policy decisions, and major infrastructure work decisions pending, this is going to be a very big kind of budget.
Alternatively, and much more likely I think, is that Grant has collapsed in the corner sobbing that it is all to hard and he has no idea what to do.
He wants to know how Bill English and Stephen Joyce seemed to be able to do it so easily. Telling him that it was because they knew what they were doing just makes him cry even harder.
I think you will find that all the things you mention will simply be thrown into the “too hard” basket.
The only thing that will rise is the New Zealand First Slush Fund and James Shaw’s overseas travel budget.
The White House escalated its assault on the Muslim American congresswoman Ilhan Omar on Sunday, after Donald Trump repeatedly tweeted video footage of September 11 and accused Omar of downplaying the terror attacks.
Supported by a wave of Democrats saying Trump was wilfully misrepresenting comments by Omar in what amounted to dangerous racist bullying, the congresswoman on Saturday said she would not be silenced by “an administration that ran on banning Muslims from this country”.
“No one person – no matter how corrupt, inept, or vicious – can threaten my unwavering love for America,” Omar tweeted.
Yes. Trump and his ‘goons’ are inciting fascists around the world to follow up the ChCh massacre with further atrocities against Muslim communities – the new version of the Blackshirts of the 1920s and 30s?
That is why even minor transgressions like the harassment of Auckland University students by ‘white supremacists’ can no longer be tolerated as just normal youthful behaviour. In the current climate, it should be taken seriously by those in positions of influence.
And of course when these attacks happen – Trump will say ‘thoughts and prayers’ and ‘lone wolf’ and ‘no one could see this coming’ etc etc…followed up by a healthy dose of victim blaming.
I completely agree with you there, to get even more worried check out Trumps speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition…which makes you wonder how any progressive could blindly go along with the Trump administration’s move on Julian Assange…strange bedfellows some people have.
The pamphlet titled One Treaty One Nation, calls for an end to state partnership with Māori, scrapping the Waitangi Tribunal, Māori electorates and wards and says Māori have benefited from colonisation lifting them out of “a violent stone age existence”.
Andrew Little who is overseeing a review of hate speech in the wake of the terrorist attacks told the Herald his view was the pamphlet is racist.
“It peddles myths about pre-European Maori society that historical scholarship does not bear out. If it demonstrates anything, it is that the author of it is an ignorant fool.” …
… The Advertising Standards Authority confirmed it is considering a complaint by Pt Chevalier resident Emma Vere-Jones…
… Vere-Jones doubted the pamphlet should be allowed as free speech because it included material that was “inaccurate” and its claim to promote equality was “disingenuous”.
“It misses the point that indigenous people in countries that have been colonised absolutely don’t fare well. It is not a level playing field.”
“I felt pretty annoyed about it. And if it riles me as someone who is Pakeha, then how does it feel if you are Maori … and that arrives through their letter box.”
“The concern for me is that if there is no one to complain to, does that mean it is okay for people to put that sort of thing in my letterbox. I don’t think it is. There needs to be some sort of recourse.”
There has to be some sort of recourse for having been exposed to an opinion you don’t like? Fret not, Emma – there are a number of paths open, one of which you quickly found: the one in which you attract the media’s attention and they publish your thoughts on the matter.
However, the article suggests you meant “recourse” in the sense of “What’s the government going to do about it?” In that sense, the government’s responsibility to punish the expression of opinion you don’t like is non-existent, in fact it has the opposite responsibility: to not punish the expression of opinion.
“Little said it needed to be clear where people could take complaints. “One of the things I want to see out of the review of our hate speech laws is whether the avenues open to members of the public to complain about hate speech are accessible enough.” ”
Bit behind the program there eh PM. Seems Emma was correct in her concern and reading the article it seemed like she tried a few different avenues to find a correct place to put her complaint. Good that Minister Little has it on his radar now.
If you have a complaint about someone else’s opinions it shouldn’t really matter where you put it, because you’re the only person who gives a shit.
However, it certainly sounds like Little imagines it is the government’s job to punish people for expressing unpopular opinions, which doesn’t bode well for the future at all. I hope no government gets the numbers in Parliament to start fulfilling Little’s ambitions.
“If you have a complaint about someone else’s opinions it shouldn’t really matter where you put it, because you’re the only person who gives a shit.”
In the world we all live in people do give a shit which is why there are procedures and policies and sometimes those policies get reevaluated and that is happening now so all good.
” it certainly sounds like Little imagines it is the government’s job to punish people for expressing unpopular opinions,”.
No he doesn’t think that at all. What he means is
It certainly sounds like Little imagines that it is HIS government’s job to punish, AND SILENCE, people for expressing opinions THAT ARE UNFLATTERING ABOUT HIS GOVERNMENT.
There, fixed it for you. I really should find out how to do italics or bold type rather than look like I am intending to shout.
And stopping people expressing their opinions, no matter how much you dislike them or find them silly is obscene.
“I really should find out how to do italics or bold type rather than look like I am intending to shout.”
Like many of your mates, you sit there with a search engine in your hands and fail to comprehend what it is. While ironically trying to slag the performance of the left as clueless.
Silence for BS like you sprout, it would help the countries mental health not to listen to such utter shite.
But apparently, even the lowest of us have rights. though you’d like that changed pronto I bet. Goddamn wimmin in power! WOT???!
Now, now.
If you start ranting on like that you will spill your nice evening cup of Milo.
That would never do. Mummy would be terribly upset by your loss of control.
By the way I do not “slag the performance of the left” as a group. I only slag the ones who really are hopeless. Twitford and Davis are examples, as are people like Shaw. I had a great admiration for Shearer actually. Pity Cunliffe and his mates did the dirty on him.
Italics: start the italicised text with [left angle bracket] i [right angle bracket], close it with [left angle bracket] /i [right angle bracket].
Bold: substitute ‘b’ for ‘i’ in the above.
“Angle brackets” are on the comma and full stop keys.
That said, I don’t think your fix is accurate. A pamphlet saying that Whitey benefited Māori by supposedly saving them from a violent, stone age existence isn’t unflattering to Andrew Little’s government, it’s unflattering to Māori, and in fact racist. Why Little, the complainant Emma de Vere, Marty Mars and me don’t like the pamphlet is straightforward – what’s not is the bit where it’s supposedly Andrew Little’s job to do something about it. Unflattering views about his government have nothing to with it either way.
Nurse, Kiwi, abducted at gunpoint by Islamic terrorists in 2013, and last possible sighting in late 2018. The story of her being taken hostage has been kept under wraps for her safety, with IS vowing to kill her. Publicized now as there are grave concerns she may be caught up in the shit storm that is Baghouz.
heavy FTTs weighted to profits going up, when supply is stationary, lagging or insufficient ( i.e. speculative distortion on supply & demand functioning in economy)
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Kia ora The Am Show.
Finding ones whakapapa is of utmost importance lost and found.
It will be exerlinte to see the Allblacks play free to AIR and streaming by spark.
I think OUR Prime Minister has been a good leader
I say that Jack is just letting the world know how hard they work
Our humanatiarin agencys do a good they put there lives at risk helping the needy.
I say that the doctors and health establishment should use medical weed to help the elderly keep off opiods . The people who are anti medical weeds reality is stuck in the past medias propergander against weed they can not see reality that its a medical not poision like alcohole.
Cool Boh Runga is championing tree planting they are a very important part of OUR enviroment Ka kite ano
The leftys KNOW the low down dirty tricks the ightys will do to get revenge or stuff up a person thats putting the TRUTH OUT THERE.
People don’t be fooled that the world justice systems are there to sereve all people KNOW The worlds justice systems are here to protect the 00.1 % it lets them ripp off the 99.9 % of people so they can kill steal abuse the common person and the system protects them they get to use there money to get a get out of jail free card the justice systems protect the 00.1% the police sell there buddy services to the wealthy and make all there problems with the justice system go away like zanes .
There is justice you just have to have a big check book to buy it
Why is the left blinkered to claims about Assange and sexual assault? Ka kite ano links below P.S its quite clear Julian’s been set up
Kia ora Newshub
It is a sad loss the Church burning down in France.
They are fleeing the sinking toilet.
Surely the hospital can provide a safe work place for there workers.
The tax system is flawed the common person pays as we EARN company’s do not have to pay as they earn can you see the big flaw,
Its sad all the people living in refugee camps that are not fit for anyone to live in .
The 2020 American elections is going to be a good one I have picked my candidate
Its A must to make sure that one has the correct gear for tramping and camping hunting to be safe and keep safe.
I say its awesome that the bar is being raised for foreigners to buy NZ property
Ka kite ano P.S had to jump throught a few hoops to get this out with the sandflys killing slowing my internet broad band feed
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TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
This week marks the return of Newsroom’s chart-topping investigative podcast, The Boy in the Water, when investigations editor Melanie Reid will take listeners inside the courtroom during the coronial inquest into the death of three-and-a-half year old Lachlan Jones. Lachie was found floating face up in an oxidation pond on the ...
It took Act’s arts spokesman Todd Stephenson 20 minutes to think of a single New Zealand author and a single New Zealand book. The only artistic experience he could think of is that he went to see Hamilton in New York. His only press release on the arts has been ...
If the council isn’t sure if it wants a bigger airport, it probably shouldn’t own hundreds of millions of dollars worth of airport shares. Any fan of a professional sports team, especially in the big-money US and European leagues, knows how much team success relies on the right owner. Good ...
Plagued by industry lobbying and design flaws, the system may be on the chopping block under National. Is it delivering what it says on the box?At the supermarket, a woman with a baby strapped to her front pushes a trolley piled high with groceries, and two young children sit ...
Opinion: Artificial intelligence is increasingly part of life, and so are anxieties about how it will change life as we know it. How it will change our jobs is just one aspect of the dystopian future we imagine it is creating. Some, if not many, of these concerns warrant serious ...
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Crown research institute GNS Science is about to officially open its new green hydrogen lab in Lower Hutt. One day it could contribute to making sure that small rural communities cut off by disaster can still power through, with stored green hydrogen used to establish a kind of micro-grid. Michelle ...
Asia Pacific Report A score of Palestine solidarity protesters draped themselves in white shrouds with mock blood in a sombre “die-in” demonstration at Te Komitanga Square — the heart of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city — today as speakers urged people to take a stronger boycott against Israeli products. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tackling violence against women will be the sole agenda item for a national cabinet meeting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has convened for Wednesday. The meeting, held remotely, follows thousands of Australians attending rallies across ...
The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
That’s the shittest introduction to Frankie Boyle I’ve ever read.
How righties misuse a focus on just income tax to be misleading about who carries the total tax burden.
https://theintercept.com/2019/04/13/tax-day-taxes-statistics/
Sure it’s a US analysis, but it’s very likely the same broad conclusions would also apply here.
Compared to NZ, US income taxes are much more progressive. There is zero income tax for the first few thousand dollars ($6000 single, $12000 married, plus a few more thousand for every dependent in 2018, double that for 2019), then tax rates are much lower for every bracket up to several hundred grand income, then US rates go higher than NZ. The US also taxes capital gains in an income progressive way.
However, the US also has very regressive “payroll taxes” to fund Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Unemployment insurance, at a flat rate that’s currently 12.6% on the first $130k, then zero above that. By semantic fuckery, this is somehow not income tax, just like NZ’s similarly structured ACC earner’s levy is somehow not income tax.
Then there’s all the state and local income and sales taxes in the US, which can be very regressive. Just like NZ’s GST usually ends up being quite regressive.
thankfully the progressive taxation of the current US left 60 major companies (up 30 – thanks orange despot) with no taxes at all to pay and some even have negative taxes.
and that is all that counts right?
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/2018-taxes-some-of-americas-biggest-companies-paid-little-to-no-federal-income-tax-last-year/
there is a autoplay thingy on this link.
but still the tax cuts for the middle class benefited mightily the 00.1% and their enablers.
Who would’ave thunk. Paul Ryan, Mitch MCconnell and the orange menace did.
everyone else? time to fasten you belt. But as a good conman would say, There are suckers everywhere and generally they vote for ‘tax cuts’ with the promise of full services.
1929 coming massive debt and wealth gap protectionism.
Andre,
It probably is not applicable to New Zealand. Although US taxes are more steeply progressive, they get far less as a percentage of GDP. Around 20% compared to around 30% in New Zealand, even though our top rate is 33%.
The reason being three fold. First, it is actually quite hard to avoid taxes in New Zealand. Second (and much more important) there are very few exemptions in the NZ system, whereas the US tax system is shot full of them, mostly benefitting the wealthy. For instance high depreciation rates for private jets, allegedly to boost the aircraft industry. Third, we have a very broad based GST. Basically no-one can avoid it.
For once I agree with Wayne.
The wealthy mostly avoid tax through all sorts of exemption in the USA. More like Greece. Where tax avoidance by the wealthy was also a national sport.
A simpler tax system here makes avoidance harder. Though we have some big anomalies on the “broadness” of our system.
We tax work and consumption, rather than capital accumulation and wealth.
“We tax work and consumption [which poor people do], rather than capital accumulation and wealth [which only rich people have]“
Yep.
I’d love to see a recent similar study done here in New Zealand, taking into account all sources of income (including capital gains, which will be kinda hard since they don’t even have to be declared as income here), and all taxes and levies.
I doubt much has changed since the most recent studies I’m aware of, like Rob Salmond’s work from 2011ish.
http://www.inequality.org.nz/understand/rich-really-pay-tax/
The high rate of GST is a somewhat regressive tax – the wealthy don’t pay it on some big-ticket items they spend money on, holiday and rental homes, overseas holidays are just the first that come to mind. Whereas for lower income groups, the major GST-exempt expenditures are rent or mortgage interest.
edit: It’s also worth noting that in the US, company dividends are taxed twice, once at the company level (for those that can’t somehow avoid paying tax on their profits) and once at the individual level. Whereas in NZ they’re effectively only taxed once through the imputation credits system.
W: Is that just federal taxes, or both state and federal?
20% looks to be just federal taxes. Federal, state and local government taxes allegedly add up to around 26ish%.
https://www.oecd.org/tax/tax-policy/revenue-statistics-united-states.pdf
Consider that most OECD countries pay a substantial part of their citizens’ healthcare costs from taxes, but the US does not. The average OECD spend on healthcare is around 8ish% of GDP, the US is around 17ish%. Add the healthcare cost burden onto the US tax burden, and the US doesn’t look so low tax anymore.
http://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/health-expenditure.htm
Tertiary education too, most OECD countries put a lot into tertiary education paid from taxes but the US does not.
1929 coming massive debt and wealth gap protectionism.
When you take state taxes health insurance, health cover, higher education and no pension. Then the % of income required for what we average out at 25% the US people pay more than double what we pay for services. Bulk buying of health education etc leaves more money in our pockets.
Morena, all. Reason will be taking the day off. Thank you though for at least trying to put some context around your behaviour, however, a long rant referring to multiple sexual assaults was not what was required. Welcome back tomorrow, if you show some restraint.
WtB, your comment was tied to Reason’s and when it went to trash I think yours did too. But nice Frankie Boyle reference all the same.
Hehe. I think my one liner made it all worth it.
But it was good to throw some water on that fire. I hope Reason’s OK he/she seems abnormally stressed.
Yeah, it’s only a short holiday because I think a lie down and a cuppa is what’s needed, not the big ban hammer.
I trust you’ve been watching Frankie’s New World Order? One of the best political shows on telly; George Monbiot on the last episode was particularly good. Monbiot’s best line is around the 25 minute mark, but the whole ep is worth watching.
This is one of the only TV shows that produces material potentially as strong as the artists actual stand up.
Sara Pascoe could get some black dye and parody Jacinda very well.
Re Reason
When someone is clearly distressed , further inflammatory responses aren’t helpful
Empathy required here, not slurs on mental health.
There’s no intention to slur that I can see, Francesca, and I thought empathy was shown in the comments. However, point taken. It’s best not to make assumptions.
I think we should stop putting mental health in the no-go zone, too sensitive to mention; a slur. I believe that we are all slightly mad at present, no joking. Having mental health problems is like being a war veteran, you have been scarred by events that have affected you.
Suggesting that someone is off their trolley, a sandwich short of a picnic, forgotten the pills, should be a prelude to the words Take care, mate or such,
just an acknowledgment of the person. There is no right thing to say that wil guarantee not to annoy so keep it loose.
We are all on the brink at present and trying hard to not walk too close. If someone has gone over it would be kinder and more embracing to acknowledge it in the nature of ‘There but for God go I’.
Just a thought. But this PC thing about so many conditions that are in plain view just gives me a pain. Notice a problem and consider the person, don’t pretend that there is no problem or difference.
Well said.
The reason I am so open about being an Aspie, or PTSD – basically being a reactive specky git… is I am sick of people acting like we don’t exist, or we should be seen and not heard, or tiptoed around…
All the people all my life who’d smugly sneer and snipe behind their hands. The cool kids of several industries, largely talentless hacks.
I hope that I, thorough unashamedly being myself, encourage other Aspies and or troubled minds to stop being shrinking violets, and rightfully take their place at the table as valid and useful members of society.
It’s not easy trying to help everyone else and being called a retard
That’s right… RETARD, I CAN say it.
It’s the N word for special needs 😀
WTB – in my experience, only the insecure feel the need to call somebody else ‘retard’.
So I like your paragraph: “All the people all my life who’d smugly sneer and snipe behind their hands. The cool kids of several industries, largely talentless hacks.”
Good one.
Here’s a favorite Aspie
“Why is there no comedy in Germany? – Did you ever think that you tried to kill all the funny people?”
What a barrel of laughs. I can’t understand what Robin is saying some of the time but as I am sure it is funny I keep laughing.
I’m reminded how feminists decided to ‘own’ the word bitch so as to take away the power of that word. I think many regard it when said angrily as an affirmation. It usually describes a woman who has something of importance to say and speaks her mind, and gets things done.
I think black people use the ‘n’ word about each other a bit like a bloke saying to a friend, ‘You old bastard’. But black people wouldn’t accept the ‘n’ word in common usage. Their past as in Strange Fruit is too painful, (and present).
😊
How’s the spree going tooty pooty?
Very interesting to see almost no pre-Budget announcements.
This is a departure from way, way back.
It tells me with mental health, capital gains policy decisions, and major infrastructure work decisions pending, this is going to be a very big kind of budget.
Alternatively, and much more likely I think, is that Grant has collapsed in the corner sobbing that it is all to hard and he has no idea what to do.
He wants to know how Bill English and Stephen Joyce seemed to be able to do it so easily. Telling him that it was because they knew what they were doing just makes him cry even harder.
I think you will find that all the things you mention will simply be thrown into the “too hard” basket.
The only thing that will rise is the New Zealand First Slush Fund and James Shaw’s overseas travel budget.
English and Joyce knew what they were doing?
Thanks for the joke of the week.
You could say they were competent, I suppose.
At stealing the last remnant of the commons.
And pretending natural disasters and more people, was an economic, plan!
I am worried about this stuff – stay safe.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/14/ilhan-omar-trump-9-11-september
Agreed this is extremely dangerous.
Trump is basically letting his goons loose on the muslim community.
Scary, very scary
Yes. Trump and his ‘goons’ are inciting fascists around the world to follow up the ChCh massacre with further atrocities against Muslim communities – the new version of the Blackshirts of the 1920s and 30s?
That is why even minor transgressions like the harassment of Auckland University students by ‘white supremacists’ can no longer be tolerated as just normal youthful behaviour. In the current climate, it should be taken seriously by those in positions of influence.
And of course when these attacks happen – Trump will say ‘thoughts and prayers’ and ‘lone wolf’ and ‘no one could see this coming’ etc etc…followed up by a healthy dose of victim blaming.
I completely agree with you there, to get even more worried check out Trumps speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition…which makes you wonder how any progressive could blindly go along with the Trump administration’s move on Julian Assange…strange bedfellows some people have.
Haters speak.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12221767
Thanks Emma
Is she related to Peter, best radio voice in the land?
“The concern for me is that if there is no one to complain to, does that mean it is okay for people to put that sort of thing in my letterbox. I don’t think it is. There needs to be some sort of recourse.”
There has to be some sort of recourse for having been exposed to an opinion you don’t like? Fret not, Emma – there are a number of paths open, one of which you quickly found: the one in which you attract the media’s attention and they publish your thoughts on the matter.
However, the article suggests you meant “recourse” in the sense of “What’s the government going to do about it?” In that sense, the government’s responsibility to punish the expression of opinion you don’t like is non-existent, in fact it has the opposite responsibility: to not punish the expression of opinion.
“Little said it needed to be clear where people could take complaints. “One of the things I want to see out of the review of our hate speech laws is whether the avenues open to members of the public to complain about hate speech are accessible enough.” ”
Bit behind the program there eh PM. Seems Emma was correct in her concern and reading the article it seemed like she tried a few different avenues to find a correct place to put her complaint. Good that Minister Little has it on his radar now.
If you have a complaint about someone else’s opinions it shouldn’t really matter where you put it, because you’re the only person who gives a shit.
However, it certainly sounds like Little imagines it is the government’s job to punish people for expressing unpopular opinions, which doesn’t bode well for the future at all. I hope no government gets the numbers in Parliament to start fulfilling Little’s ambitions.
“If you have a complaint about someone else’s opinions it shouldn’t really matter where you put it, because you’re the only person who gives a shit.”
In the world we all live in people do give a shit which is why there are procedures and policies and sometimes those policies get reevaluated and that is happening now so all good.
” it certainly sounds like Little imagines it is the government’s job to punish people for expressing unpopular opinions,”.
No he doesn’t think that at all. What he means is
It certainly sounds like Little imagines that it is HIS government’s job to punish, AND SILENCE, people for expressing opinions THAT ARE UNFLATTERING ABOUT HIS GOVERNMENT.
There, fixed it for you. I really should find out how to do italics or bold type rather than look like I am intending to shout.
And stopping people expressing their opinions, no matter how much you dislike them or find them silly is obscene.
“I really should find out how to do italics or bold type rather than look like I am intending to shout.”
Like many of your mates, you sit there with a search engine in your hands and fail to comprehend what it is. While ironically trying to slag the performance of the left as clueless.
Silence for BS like you sprout, it would help the countries mental health not to listen to such utter shite.
But apparently, even the lowest of us have rights. though you’d like that changed pronto I bet. Goddamn wimmin in power! WOT???!
Now, now.
If you start ranting on like that you will spill your nice evening cup of Milo.
That would never do. Mummy would be terribly upset by your loss of control.
By the way I do not “slag the performance of the left” as a group. I only slag the ones who really are hopeless. Twitford and Davis are examples, as are people like Shaw. I had a great admiration for Shearer actually. Pity Cunliffe and his mates did the dirty on him.
Mum’s dead, and weed is the new Milo.
In my first reply to you, I wrote the post, then searched and learned to do the italics etc before time to edit ran out…
Tick tick tick.
BOOM
Italics: start the italicised text with [left angle bracket] i [right angle bracket], close it with [left angle bracket] /i [right angle bracket].
Bold: substitute ‘b’ for ‘i’ in the above.
“Angle brackets” are on the comma and full stop keys.
That said, I don’t think your fix is accurate. A pamphlet saying that Whitey benefited Māori by supposedly saving them from a violent, stone age existence isn’t unflattering to Andrew Little’s government, it’s unflattering to Māori, and in fact racist. Why Little, the complainant Emma de Vere, Marty Mars and me don’t like the pamphlet is straightforward – what’s not is the bit where it’s supposedly Andrew Little’s job to do something about it. Unflattering views about his government have nothing to with it either way.
Probably a bit much for the centre left, the forest of capitalism explained, and why we need it gone.
God bless Jackie Walker.
I’m sure everything will be relieved to learn Assange’s cat is well and safe. Although the proof is disturbingly like a hostage video.
Gotta wonder what’s on its collar, too. Or maybe I’ve watched MIB too many times.
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/13/uk/julian-assange-cat-safe-trnd/index.html
Cameron Bagrie the economist is now saying Steven Joyce was right about the 11.7 billion hole and in fact its likely to be bigger!
Here are some 2017 comments on ‘the hole’. What is different now?
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/09/economist-consensus-there-s-no-11-7b-hole-in-labour-s-budget.html
and
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/11/11-7-billion-hole-perhaps-too-conservative-steven-joyce.html
I note these are both reports from newshub. If it is their hole let them go to it.
Labour denies:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11916799
National accuses:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/96470311/national-accuses-labour-of-117-billion-error-in-its-spending-plan
I don’t know myself but anything Jimmy raises is likely to be a kick in the pants for this Labour Coalition so it might help to see background. Voila!
He has come to his senses?
Seems the most likely explanation.
Did you also see that Business Confidence has turned downward again?
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1904/S00398/central-new-zealand-business-confidence-slumps-again.htm
By the way when did Cam say the things you were quoting. He was saying that back in August 2018 and I didn’t know he was talking about it again now.
Note he wants to fill it with a CGT. So. All good.
What was Cambag saying then jimby?
Louisa Akavi.
Nurse, Kiwi, abducted at gunpoint by Islamic terrorists in 2013, and last possible sighting in late 2018. The story of her being taken hostage has been kept under wraps for her safety, with IS vowing to kill her. Publicized now as there are grave concerns she may be caught up in the shit storm that is Baghouz.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/387073/fears-grow-for-new-zealand-nurse-louisa-akavi-kidnapped-in-syria-in-2013
Introduced corporate Gender Equality
heavy FTTs weighted to profits going up, when supply is stationary, lagging or insufficient ( i.e. speculative distortion on supply & demand functioning in economy)
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Kia ora The Am Show.
Finding ones whakapapa is of utmost importance lost and found.
It will be exerlinte to see the Allblacks play free to AIR and streaming by spark.
I think OUR Prime Minister has been a good leader
I say that Jack is just letting the world know how hard they work
Our humanatiarin agencys do a good they put there lives at risk helping the needy.
I say that the doctors and health establishment should use medical weed to help the elderly keep off opiods . The people who are anti medical weeds reality is stuck in the past medias propergander against weed they can not see reality that its a medical not poision like alcohole.
Cool Boh Runga is championing tree planting they are a very important part of OUR enviroment Ka kite ano
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
https://youtu.be/94dBVPpymac
The leftys KNOW the low down dirty tricks the ightys will do to get revenge or stuff up a person thats putting the TRUTH OUT THERE.
People don’t be fooled that the world justice systems are there to sereve all people KNOW The worlds justice systems are here to protect the 00.1 % it lets them ripp off the 99.9 % of people so they can kill steal abuse the common person and the system protects them they get to use there money to get a get out of jail free card the justice systems protect the 00.1% the police sell there buddy services to the wealthy and make all there problems with the justice system go away like zanes .
There is justice you just have to have a big check book to buy it
Why is the left blinkered to claims about Assange and sexual assault? Ka kite ano links below P.S its quite clear Julian’s been set up
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/15/left-blinkered-claims-julian-assange-sexual-assault
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
Kia ora Newshub
It is a sad loss the Church burning down in France.
They are fleeing the sinking toilet.
Surely the hospital can provide a safe work place for there workers.
The tax system is flawed the common person pays as we EARN company’s do not have to pay as they earn can you see the big flaw,
Its sad all the people living in refugee camps that are not fit for anyone to live in .
The 2020 American elections is going to be a good one I have picked my candidate
Its A must to make sure that one has the correct gear for tramping and camping hunting to be safe and keep safe.
I say its awesome that the bar is being raised for foreigners to buy NZ property
Ka kite ano P.S had to jump throught a few hoops to get this out with the sandflys killing slowing my internet broad band feed