Imagine a capital gains tax was in place now as proposed. The Labour Party calculations by Berl Economics on page six estimated an annual price appreciation rate of 3.5%. Using this as a basis, this would give an annual increase in the first twelve months of $8,750 on which tax would later be payable of $1,312.
THIS AMOUNT OF TAX IN THE FIRST YEAR IS THE EQUIVALENT TO $25 PER WEEK.
I would conclude that over time rents would need to adjust by an equivalent amount to maintain the current position, if a similar number of landlords would be expected to facilitate supply of accommodation.
The other major factor which effects Rent levels is interest rates… and they are forecast to rise from later this year. Planning a new tax on landlords to apply 2013 might not be ideal for those who might want to rent housing.
Take away the emotive language and focus on facts. The Average property Investor is not a high income earner and may have one to three properties. Trying to save for retirement so as to ring fence themselves from Government!
Scott Mason, tax principal at WHK in Dunedin, said a move to CGT would be an “absolute, fundamental change to Kiwis’ mind-sets” – developed over more than 100 years.
He said introducing CGT would be a “winner” for valuers, lawyers and accountants, while the “losers” would be “every Kiwi striving to do better for themselves by saving and investing in assets, as opposed to spending in the here and now”.
Dunedin has a unique mix of investment properties with a high proportion of student rentals. If rents get a double whammy from rising interest rates and CGT how much will it impact on Dunedin as an attractive proposition for education?
Students won’t buy properties in Dunedin if landlords decide it’s not worth investing here under CGT.
What does the presumed new Labour MP for Dunedin North think?
Just watched excellent presentation on youtube. David Cunliffe explains how Labour is going to build a fairer future for New Zealand. Superb – and timely.
Good plug for Labour. No consideration for Dunedin North.
Come on David, are you standing for a party or an electorate?
Is National paying you to recycle these discredited FUD arguments all over the internet? This is what I gleaned:
– The wealthy Property Investors Assn wants to keep their tax free speculation profits
– Some people think they have the right to evade their tax obligations
– The suckers buying houses to live in ought to be shafted by a bubble economy and be grateful
– The bank will be stoked to have another Kiwi paying mortgage interest to its Aussie shareholders
– Landlords will be “forced” to put up rent (stop the press! landlord tries to increas rent!)
– It’s all so frightening I MUST USE CAPITAL LETTERS TO EMPHASISE that I might be taxed for money I gained WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING PRODUCTIVE
Breaking News – the President of the Otago Property Investors Assn doesn’t like a CGT!
A CGT closes a great big gaping hole in our tax regime that has enabled people to convert taxable income to non-taxable capital gain and therefore avoid paying tax. This is unfair and is a burden on all other taxpayers.
My previous boss had an annual income of $250,000 p.a. and boasted he never paid more than $10,000 p.a. in tax as he offset his income against his highly geared rental property portfolio.
a move to CGT would be an “absolute, fundamental change to Kiwis’ mind-sets” – developed over more than 100 years.
Sure will – no more using property speculation to avoid income tax.
Need to do a bit more secret squirreling if a couple of quotes from vested interests is the best you can come up with.
A CGT closes a great big gaping hole in our tax regime
But will a CGT with a myriad of little holes do it?
I’ve looked for local comment because a change in emphasis on investment taxation could have a big impact on Dunedin. I’ll happily post different views on it, CGT deserves a good debate.
I don’t like Key dismissing it completely. That’s bad politics.
I’d prefer to see a CGT designed with expert input and wide electorate now, not tweaking or window dressing the final product, and not designed around potential voter groups in a party backroom.
A fundamental change to our tax system like this deserves far more than being an election year bribe and scare football. Doesn’t it?
But will a CGT with a myriad of little holes do it?
So you’ve agreed that there is a great big gaping hole in the tax regime that needs to be fixed. Not doing anything about it is a bit like not building a dam because you’re worried there might be a few leaks.
I’ll happily post different views on it, CGT deserves a good debate
Go on then do it.
A fundamental change to our tax system like this deserves far more than being an election year bribe and scare football.
It’s called policy actually and all being well it’s what elections should be won or lost on. Or would you prefer us to elect MPs on their looks or ability to “smile and wave”.
No dam is better than a dam with holes that you have no idea in advance how open they will get.
Policies are important for elections but it’s also important to have faith in those behind the policies, that they will consult and listen and respond, and not just emerge from a party back room with what they think is a vote winner and try to shut off valid criticism and debate.
A debate on something as big and important as a a major tax restructuring should last for more than a couple of weeks, shouldn’t it?
Trying to frame it now as “choose this or something else” is trying to shut down debate when it should only be starting,
“…it’s also important to have faith in those behind the policies, that they will consult and listen and respond…”
Riiiight. Like National do. Or like you do, here. Goodo.
“…and not just emerge from a party back room with what they think is a vote winner…”
It’s becoming apparent that your real problem with a CGT is that you think it’s a vote-winner too.
“Trying to frame it now as “choose this or something else” is trying to shut down debate when it should only be starting”
Actually this has been debated for decades. You’ve only just started to take notice now that you have to for political reasons, and if you’re too late to be involved that’s nobody’s fault but yours.
Actually this has been debated for decades. You’ve only just started to take notice now that you have to for political reasons
I thought that was referring to the Labour Party, because according to Goff they only started to take notice this year when they decided they need to compete with asset sales policies.
The catalyst for Labour’s support of a capital gains tax was the government’s proposal to sell shares in state-owned assets.
Labour leader Phil Goff said at the launch of his party’s tax policy this afternoon that the proposal was a declaration of intent that effectively called on Labour to find the political courage to map out a better, more viable alternative.
when they decided they need to compete with asset sales policies.
Trying to rely on a one liner to explain why Labour came up with a CGT communicates an ignorance of how policy priorities are chosen and the detailed process needed to forge policy which is strong and workable.
The CGT does a lot more than compete with National’s asset sales agenda, it demonstrates a willingness on Labour’s behalf to rebalance the entire economy and broaden the tax base, a process which Labour has explicitly said will take years.
English and Key on the other hand have a one hit asset sell off. Not much competition really.
And don’t you just cringe when Key and Co, keep on with the “kiwi mums and dads” line. I am a Kiwi Dad I and I don’t have any money saved, So Blinglish is deluding himself if he thinks that we can afford to go out and buy shares willy nilly just so he and his mates can have Tax cuts.
If you bothered to see what he said, you’d know that he praised Labour for bringing CGT up, he criticised them for proposing a holey version, and he criticised National for turning their backs on it.
I’m not going to say “I love Labour’s proposal, there’s nothing at all wrong with it”. That’s not balance, that’s stupidity, which you seem to have woken up with today.
It seems to me that any would-be landlord who can’t make a normal profit should stay out of the market. The trouble is that 15% is not high enough to keep out punters who can’t make it work. I think I would set the rate to 90% with an abatement of 5 percentage points per year to 15% after 15 years. Hopefully this would keep out speculators, and renovators who want to pass off the fruits of their renovations as capital gains.
The real problem in the rental market is not the lack of a CGT but high property values, and perhaps high interest rates, which makes it difficult for landlords to make a normal profit.
[It seems to me that any would-be landlord who can’t make a normal profit should stay out of the market. The trouble is that 15% is not high enough to keep out punters who can’t make it work. I think I would set the rate to 90% with an abatement of 5 percentage points per year to 15% after 15 years. Hopefully this would keep out speculators, and renovators who want to pass off the fruits of their renovations as capital gains.]
It has actually been pointed out to me on another thread that a high rate is not actually needed for CGT to act as a deterrent, and it is clear to me that the pointer outer is correct. So I’m forced to retract all the stuff about a 90% tax rate. lol.
Secret Squirrel, or should I say Pete George..you forget that landlords have been hiking up rents and pricing a lot of people out of rental accommodation (not to mention becoming more choosy about who they rent to) for the past decade or so.
And I shall wager that with the changes to state housing being brought in, and thousands of vulnerable families being kicked off the HNZ waiting lists into the private sector, landlords will be taking that oppurtunity to put up rents even further (of course, the slum-lords union is mysteriously silent about that little issue) than they already are and than they could with a capital gains tax.
Of course, I think that the CGT should be spent on 1) expanding state housing back to pre-1991 levels, 2) higher accomodation supplements, and 3) low interest home loans for people.
In the mail this week: a letter from Anne Tolley stating that
* National plans to cut playcentre funding by 60%
* The govt prefers to fund places with qualified staff
* Submissions close at the end of August
WTF is happening with this nasty attack on community run organisations? Are mothers now required to do a (very expensive) ECE course just to have somewhere to take their kids to play with other children? Does Tolley realise that not everyone can afford fancy preschool daycare or kindergartens?
Can’t find this anywhere on parliament.nz to make a submission.
ropata I guess that Ann Tolley belongs to that school where children are valued for the clever things they can do to impress friends and rellies. That is why it is important to concentrate on the Education in Early Childhood Education. Kids should be forced forward, trained like show ponies, that’s more important than socialisation, confidence, physical skills and the use of ideas, imagination with craftwork all to be enjoyed rather than completed and measured to some standard.
In some Asian countries, I think I have heard recently about South Korea, the children suffer so much if they can’t achieve to their parents expectations that they commit suicide. I think that has been recorded here amongst some PI people. Parents who have not had much schooling themselves, and don’t understand what is involved can pressure their children beyond endurance. I don’t know if this happens particularly with girls, but often they have onerous household and child minding duties as well as trying to do homework and have high test results. I was reading about a NZ pupil on exchange in France, their school went from 8am to as late as 6pm.
Even the Stuff National poll http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/
is coming up with
Partial Asset Sales 46.9%,
Capital gains tax and higher top income tax 53.%
Given the expected bias from an internet poll that has to indicate at least a 10% margin in favour of Labours programme of looking after the many rather than the few.
A while ago, I decided to get some dance lessons. Don’t get me wrong; I can dance already, being a veritable master at the Twist and Funky Chicken. However it’s tap dancing that has always interested me… so I finally paid for some lessons, which are going superbly! There’s still a few months to practice before the big night, and a few spaces left in the tap dance class, so feel free to get your dancing shoes on as well.
Unfortunately polls suggest most people don’t see him that way.
In most of his interviews (and yes, again launching Labour’s CGT) he looks uncomfortable with his message. He looks like he’s saying what he thinks he has to say, and not what he feels and believes.
He’s been in politics long enough to be familiar with dealing with media interviews, so can’t be inexperience.
Goff looks like the party that is dragging him in directions he’s not comfortable with. He doesn’t look like he believes in what he’s saying.
Pretty large assumptions to make there SS. It’s apparent that Phil Goff is running Labour properly, hence the unbalanced opinion shown on the Nation program today. The right wing program even said the CGT would apply to Christchurch houses, when they will initially be exempt. It’s one thing to tell only one side of the story, but to blatantly lie about a political parties policies is not acceptable.
It is Labour’s policies that people will vote for. There is already overwhelming support for the well constructed CGT from a wide range of the community. Such a tax will make many speculators vote National, and many more poor people vote Labour. There are more poor people than wealthy, National has made sure of that.
The other side of the coin is that people will now vote against National, because they have failed to deliver any of their promises. You can harp on about Goff’s mannerisms all you like SS, they beat John Key’s lies and failure hands down.
It’s apparent that Phil Goff is running Labour properly, hence the unbalanced opinion shown on the Nation program today.
Interesting comment jackal.
I noted on Thursday evening’s TV1 and TV3 news programmes (immediately after Labour’s announcement) that TV3’s coverage was much fairer and more balanced than TV1. In fact TV1’s coverage was blatantly partisan against Labour and the CGT tax. It suggests to me that the problem is not the respective TV stations as such, but rather the personnel who run the individual news and current affairs programmes.
Yeah but don’t forget that SS or Pete or what ever nom de plume he’s using at the moment, has had to stoop to name calling, because every other argument he tries to start is met with solid FACTS. See SS or Pete, FACTS not guesswork, or as in the case of Blinglish and KY Prayer. As in don’t have one!
This morning Kim on radionz was interviewing author –
Gerald Seymour: thrills and terror
British writer Gerald Seymour worked for many years as an international news reporter. His first thriller, ‘Harry’s Game’, was published in 1975; he has since written a further 25 bestsellers. His new book is ‘A Deniable Death’. (44′11″)
Interesting chap. He talked about the Balkans and the plight of the Muslims in the area affected by the Serbs’ rush of blood to the head and feet, and how hard it would be to improve the survivors’ life to normality, perhaps never in their lifetime. He wrote Harry’s Game about Northern Ireland and how violence is breaking out there again. (It was probably depression from seeing the infighting of Greek partisans once the Germans were dealt with that led to John Mulgan taking his life.) Old enmities, old traditions allowed to fester need cleaning out with a new mindset, a different approach to contested traditions.
Then Joky Hen says he isn’t interested in making any changes to the loyalty oath in our parliament because it is long-standing. Making small changes that allow for better relationships and meet ideas of fairness are necessary by wise, intelligent leaders of society. Which Joky Hen isn’t.
Intermittent signal July 2011/4 (last11/7)
People in NZ doing things with ideas for a good future here.
Radio NZ today – Country Life Making a Lifestyle Block Make Money
The Madsens own a beautiful home in a cluster of lifestyle blocks in North Auckland. They have a few pigs and a sheep on their one hectare of land. So far, so ordinary. But the couple have built a unique way of life by turning the idea of the unproductive lifestyle block on its head. They run a herd of 150 cattle, over a number of blocks. (duration: 11′23″)
Download: Ogg Vorbis MP3
and A New Home for Koanga Institute and Gardens
For the past 25 years Kay Baxter and her husband Bob Corker have been saving New Zealand’s heritage fruit trees and vegetables at Koanga Gardens in Kaiwaka. But five years ago they decided they needed a new place to live so have found a new home near Wairoa where they’re developing a Community Land Trust which they hope will support up to 30 families. (duration: 22′03″)
Download: Ogg Vorbis MP3
and Wool Based Disposable Nappies
Potroz-Smith Technologies is developing a super absorbent wool-based material called NatraZorb, to be used in disposable nappies, amongst other things. Derelee Potroz-Smith says the idea started on her family’s Taranaki farm with romney sheep. (duration: 6′11″)
Download: Ogg Vorbis MP3
Wasn’t Citizen A amusing last night. Cameron Slater squirming when put on the rack concerning his infamous gut shot comments re Arie Smith-Voorkamp was priceless. But then the ignoramus AKA Whaleoil made a most interesting revelation, which seems strange in context to his normal campaign of disinformation…
Personally I think that there will be a deal to raise the debt ceiling, and that a crisis will be averted. However it will involve slashing what is left of the USA’s social safety net and public sector. And quite a few more people will consigned into hardship, or worse. But really, what’s a few more in the scheme of things.
40 years ago, only Nixon could go to China. Now in 2011, only Obama could cut Social Security (and Medicare)
Republicans and Democrats are two sides of the same coin.
One possible outcome is that they increase the Federal Debt Limit but with no changes to entitlements or tax increases i.e. they just kick the can a bit further down the road. What do you reckon the chances are?
Unemployment is skyrocketing among Maori youth, yet tribal leaders would rather employ fishing boat crews from overseas instead of purchasing their own boats and training up their young people to crew them.
Im guessing they would rather use the profits to dish out scholarships to family members and buy BMW’s.
If Hone wants any modicum of respect, then he should be highlighting this issue, instead of throwing his toys when he doesn’t get is own way when he is sworn in.
So the thin blue line (aka ‘the filth’) have performed another summary execution when they gunned down an admittedly troublesome person at the Headlands Hotel according to media reports….
“I am able to confirm that the man was challenged, a dog deployed, there was a struggle and Police discharged a firearm.”
The man died at the scene.
The police shot was the only shot fired, he said.
The man’s gun had not yet been found.
A knife was found near his body, Mr Handcock said.”
What are tasers and pepper for? Oh thats right, they are to ensure compliance not end this sort of situation in a non lethal way. The fact is whenever the pigs draw a firearm prepare to die as they are trained to aim at the torso only, ie shoot to kill. Fer crissakes they had 30 plus special coppers hanging around and it just looks like a grotesque training exercise given the forces involved.
The stand-off began last night, when Ratahi stormed into the hotel’s restaurant and pulled out a rifle.
“He was yelling at us to get out and I just yelled at the girls to move, move, move and we all ran for the front door,” said witness Kathy Muggeridge.
“As soon as the guy saw police approaching he pulled out a gun and that was when he pointed it … and told us to go.”
Witnesses said they saw the gunman beating up a waitress and dragging her across the floor.
Inspector Pat Handcock told media the man was shot once and died at the scene. He was armed with what was thought to be a handgun.
Ratahi has previously been charged with assaulting a woman using a knife and injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Early this morning, the man could be heard yelling at police.
”You come over here, sonny boy – I’ll shoot you first,” he said.
Yeah thats right when someones got a firearm its reasonable to use a taser and pepper spray on them
I know this might be a foriegn concept but maybe in future:
Don’t kidnap people
Don’t beat up women (actually don’t beat up anybody)
Don’t threaten people with a firearm
Don’t threaten the police with a firearm
Give yourself up when challenged by the police
It is really difficult to follow the logic of John Key & the Nats in relation to a CGT. Is the guy actually thinking lucidly or groping around for some solid arguments against the tax.
I heard him on the radio today stating how ‘NZ needs more tax payers, not a new tax’. Has it escaped his attention that a CGT is about broadening the tax base and bringing into the tax system parts of the economy which are not taxed at present. Ipso facto, more tax payers.
On the news tonight Bill English states that people not paying tax on income earned is ok whereas the likes of Selwyn pellett and Gareth Morgan are both saying they should be paying tax on hitherto untaxed profits.
The Nats have really struggling to be coherent at the moment.
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In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title 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. ...
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. ...
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. ...
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. ...
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. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
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 ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
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Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
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Dunedin reactions to proposed CGT:
CGT + interest rate rise = rent rise (++)
Dunedin has a unique mix of investment properties with a high proportion of student rentals. If rents get a double whammy from rising interest rates and CGT how much will it impact on Dunedin as an attractive proposition for education?
Students won’t buy properties in Dunedin if landlords decide it’s not worth investing here under CGT.
What does the presumed new Labour MP for Dunedin North think?
Good plug for Labour. No consideration for Dunedin North.
Come on David, are you standing for a party or an electorate?
Is National paying you to recycle these discredited FUD arguments all over the internet? This is what I gleaned:
– The wealthy Property Investors Assn wants to keep their tax free speculation profits
– Some people think they have the right to evade their tax obligations
– The suckers buying houses to live in ought to be shafted by a bubble economy and be grateful
– The bank will be stoked to have another Kiwi paying mortgage interest to its Aussie shareholders
– Landlords will be “forced” to put up rent (stop the press! landlord tries to increas rent!)
– It’s all so frightening I MUST USE CAPITAL LETTERS TO EMPHASISE that I might be taxed for money I gained WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING PRODUCTIVE
Breaking News – the President of the Otago Property Investors Assn doesn’t like a CGT!
A CGT closes a great big gaping hole in our tax regime that has enabled people to convert taxable income to non-taxable capital gain and therefore avoid paying tax. This is unfair and is a burden on all other taxpayers.
My previous boss had an annual income of $250,000 p.a. and boasted he never paid more than $10,000 p.a. in tax as he offset his income against his highly geared rental property portfolio.
Sure will – no more using property speculation to avoid income tax.
Need to do a bit more secret squirreling if a couple of quotes from vested interests is the best you can come up with.
A CGT closes a great big gaping hole in our tax regime
But will a CGT with a myriad of little holes do it?
I’ve looked for local comment because a change in emphasis on investment taxation could have a big impact on Dunedin. I’ll happily post different views on it, CGT deserves a good debate.
I don’t like Key dismissing it completely. That’s bad politics.
I’d prefer to see a CGT designed with expert input and wide electorate now, not tweaking or window dressing the final product, and not designed around potential voter groups in a party backroom.
A fundamental change to our tax system like this deserves far more than being an election year bribe and scare football. Doesn’t it?
So you’ve agreed that there is a great big gaping hole in the tax regime that needs to be fixed. Not doing anything about it is a bit like not building a dam because you’re worried there might be a few leaks.
Go on then do it.
It’s called policy actually and all being well it’s what elections should be won or lost on. Or would you prefer us to elect MPs on their looks or ability to “smile and wave”.
No dam is better than a dam with holes that you have no idea in advance how open they will get.
Policies are important for elections but it’s also important to have faith in those behind the policies, that they will consult and listen and respond, and not just emerge from a party back room with what they think is a vote winner and try to shut off valid criticism and debate.
A debate on something as big and important as a a major tax restructuring should last for more than a couple of weeks, shouldn’t it?
Trying to frame it now as “choose this or something else” is trying to shut down debate when it should only be starting,
“…it’s also important to have faith in those behind the policies, that they will consult and listen and respond…”
Riiiight. Like National do. Or like you do, here. Goodo.
“…and not just emerge from a party back room with what they think is a vote winner…”
It’s becoming apparent that your real problem with a CGT is that you think it’s a vote-winner too.
“Trying to frame it now as “choose this or something else” is trying to shut down debate when it should only be starting”
Actually this has been debated for decades. You’ve only just started to take notice now that you have to for political reasons, and if you’re too late to be involved that’s nobody’s fault but yours.
Said the little red hen.
Actually this has been debated for decades. You’ve only just started to take notice now that you have to for political reasons
I thought that was referring to the Labour Party, because according to Goff they only started to take notice this year when they decided they need to compete with asset sales policies.
Yeah, compete with asset sales.
You’re such a card.
Goff is the card. This is what he was reported as saying:
Your house of cards is a bit flimsy.
Trying to rely on a one liner to explain why Labour came up with a CGT communicates an ignorance of how policy priorities are chosen and the detailed process needed to forge policy which is strong and workable.
The CGT does a lot more than compete with National’s asset sales agenda, it demonstrates a willingness on Labour’s behalf to rebalance the entire economy and broaden the tax base, a process which Labour has explicitly said will take years.
English and Key on the other hand have a one hit asset sell off. Not much competition really.
And don’t you just cringe when Key and Co, keep on with the “kiwi mums and dads” line. I am a Kiwi Dad I and I don’t have any money saved, So Blinglish is deluding himself if he thinks that we can afford to go out and buy shares willy nilly just so he and his mates can have Tax cuts.
“I’ll happily post different views on it, CGT deserves a good debate”
Then why are all the views you post agin it?
As soon as you actually post some views favouring a CGT, you’ll be taken at your word that you’re all about the debate.
Based on the evidence to hand, however, no such conclusion can rationally be drawn.
Once again, your actions do not square with your words.
If you weren’t fixated on try to score wee points you would have noticed. Here’s a recent one:
http://thestandard.org.nz/reaction-to-labour-tax-package/#comment-352742
It’s your actions that don’t square with your words.
Right, the comment about how Morgan thinks Labour’s proposal is a poor one.
Yep you’re fair and balanced as a Fox.
If you bothered to see what he said, you’d know that he praised Labour for bringing CGT up, he criticised them for proposing a holey version, and he criticised National for turning their backs on it.
I’m not going to say “I love Labour’s proposal, there’s nothing at all wrong with it”. That’s not balance, that’s stupidity, which you seem to have woken up with today.
For the purposes of this particular discussion, which is about your motivations, I’m more interested in what you said, Pete.
Oh that’s right, you don’t say anything.
It seems to me that any would-be landlord who can’t make a normal profit should stay out of the market. The trouble is that 15% is not high enough to keep out punters who can’t make it work. I think I would set the rate to 90% with an abatement of 5 percentage points per year to 15% after 15 years. Hopefully this would keep out speculators, and renovators who want to pass off the fruits of their renovations as capital gains.
The real problem in the rental market is not the lack of a CGT but high property values, and perhaps high interest rates, which makes it difficult for landlords to make a normal profit.
[It seems to me that any would-be landlord who can’t make a normal profit should stay out of the market. The trouble is that 15% is not high enough to keep out punters who can’t make it work. I think I would set the rate to 90% with an abatement of 5 percentage points per year to 15% after 15 years. Hopefully this would keep out speculators, and renovators who want to pass off the fruits of their renovations as capital gains.]
It has actually been pointed out to me on another thread that a high rate is not actually needed for CGT to act as a deterrent, and it is clear to me that the pointer outer is correct. So I’m forced to retract all the stuff about a 90% tax rate. lol.
Secret Squirrel, or should I say Pete George..you forget that landlords have been hiking up rents and pricing a lot of people out of rental accommodation (not to mention becoming more choosy about who they rent to) for the past decade or so.
And I shall wager that with the changes to state housing being brought in, and thousands of vulnerable families being kicked off the HNZ waiting lists into the private sector, landlords will be taking that oppurtunity to put up rents even further (of course, the slum-lords union is mysteriously silent about that little issue) than they already are and than they could with a capital gains tax.
Of course, I think that the CGT should be spent on 1) expanding state housing back to pre-1991 levels, 2) higher accomodation supplements, and 3) low interest home loans for people.
In the mail this week: a letter from Anne Tolley stating that
* National plans to cut playcentre funding by 60%
* The govt prefers to fund places with qualified staff
* Submissions close at the end of August
WTF is happening with this nasty attack on community run organisations? Are mothers now required to do a (very expensive) ECE course just to have somewhere to take their kids to play with other children? Does Tolley realise that not everyone can afford fancy preschool daycare or kindergartens?
Can’t find this anywhere on parliament.nz to make a submission.
Oh yeah they are also pulling Dental Nurses out of primary schools?!
ropata I guess that Ann Tolley belongs to that school where children are valued for the clever things they can do to impress friends and rellies. That is why it is important to concentrate on the Education in Early Childhood Education. Kids should be forced forward, trained like show ponies, that’s more important than socialisation, confidence, physical skills and the use of ideas, imagination with craftwork all to be enjoyed rather than completed and measured to some standard.
In some Asian countries, I think I have heard recently about South Korea, the children suffer so much if they can’t achieve to their parents expectations that they commit suicide. I think that has been recorded here amongst some PI people. Parents who have not had much schooling themselves, and don’t understand what is involved can pressure their children beyond endurance. I don’t know if this happens particularly with girls, but often they have onerous household and child minding duties as well as trying to do homework and have high test results. I was reading about a NZ pupil on exchange in France, their school went from 8am to as late as 6pm.
Slightly off topic, but I think all ECE should be playcentres and kindergartens.
Not really keen on the tendency for profit run baby farms.
Even the Stuff National poll
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/
is coming up with
Partial Asset Sales 46.9%,
Capital gains tax and higher top income tax 53.%
Given the expected bias from an internet poll that has to indicate at least a 10% margin in favour of Labours programme of looking after the many rather than the few.
Trade me poll
CGT no family home 63%
Sell shares in SOE 22%
Reduce Spending 11%
15% CGT across Board 4%
Time for Some Dance Lessons
A while ago, I decided to get some dance lessons. Don’t get me wrong; I can dance already, being a veritable master at the Twist and Funky Chicken. However it’s tap dancing that has always interested me… so I finally paid for some lessons, which are going superbly! There’s still a few months to practice before the big night, and a few spaces left in the tap dance class, so feel free to get your dancing shoes on as well.
Good on you. I’m not interested in tap dancing, but I think it’s good to get out and try new things, get involved and have a go.
Overcome the TV zombies.
You might want to read the entire article before you comment further SS.
Now that’s a big ask Jackal!
I know! 280 words is such a chore. Better to just comment on the lead in, it’s only 80.
Post Labour’s CGT launch assessment:
Phil Goff – Gravitas for Prime Minister
John Key – Gravy train of tax cuts & asset sales for self and mates
Unfortunately polls suggest most people don’t see him that way.
In most of his interviews (and yes, again launching Labour’s CGT) he looks uncomfortable with his message. He looks like he’s saying what he thinks he has to say, and not what he feels and believes.
He’s been in politics long enough to be familiar with dealing with media interviews, so can’t be inexperience.
Goff looks like the party that is dragging him in directions he’s not comfortable with. He doesn’t look like he believes in what he’s saying.
That’s Phil Goff’s biggest problem.
If he could run Labour his way and believe in what he’s doing he would do better, but there doesn’t seem to be much chance of that happening.
Pretty large assumptions to make there SS. It’s apparent that Phil Goff is running Labour properly, hence the unbalanced opinion shown on the Nation program today. The right wing program even said the CGT would apply to Christchurch houses, when they will initially be exempt. It’s one thing to tell only one side of the story, but to blatantly lie about a political parties policies is not acceptable.
It is Labour’s policies that people will vote for. There is already overwhelming support for the well constructed CGT from a wide range of the community. Such a tax will make many speculators vote National, and many more poor people vote Labour. There are more poor people than wealthy, National has made sure of that.
The other side of the coin is that people will now vote against National, because they have failed to deliver any of their promises. You can harp on about Goff’s mannerisms all you like SS, they beat John Key’s lies and failure hands down.
It’s apparent that Phil Goff is running Labour properly, hence the unbalanced opinion shown on the Nation program today.
Interesting comment jackal.
I noted on Thursday evening’s TV1 and TV3 news programmes (immediately after Labour’s announcement) that TV3’s coverage was much fairer and more balanced than TV1. In fact TV1’s coverage was blatantly partisan against Labour and the CGT tax. It suggests to me that the problem is not the respective TV stations as such, but rather the personnel who run the individual news and current affairs programmes.
Yeah but don’t forget that SS or Pete or what ever nom de plume he’s using at the moment, has had to stoop to name calling, because every other argument he tries to start is met with solid FACTS. See SS or Pete, FACTS not guesswork, or as in the case of Blinglish and KY Prayer. As in don’t have one!
This morning Kim on radionz was interviewing author –
Gerald Seymour: thrills and terror
British writer Gerald Seymour worked for many years as an international news reporter. His first thriller, ‘Harry’s Game’, was published in 1975; he has since written a further 25 bestsellers. His new book is ‘A Deniable Death’. (44′11″)
Interesting chap. He talked about the Balkans and the plight of the Muslims in the area affected by the Serbs’ rush of blood to the head and feet, and how hard it would be to improve the survivors’ life to normality, perhaps never in their lifetime. He wrote Harry’s Game about Northern Ireland and how violence is breaking out there again. (It was probably depression from seeing the infighting of Greek partisans once the Germans were dealt with that led to John Mulgan taking his life.) Old enmities, old traditions allowed to fester need cleaning out with a new mindset, a different approach to contested traditions.
Then Joky Hen says he isn’t interested in making any changes to the loyalty oath in our parliament because it is long-standing. Making small changes that allow for better relationships and meet ideas of fairness are necessary by wise, intelligent leaders of society. Which Joky Hen isn’t.
Post Labour’s CGT launch assessment:
Phil Goff – PM Gravitas
John Key – Cheekey Ass
Phil Goff – PM Gravitas
John Key – Smart Ass
Intermittent signal July 2011/4 (last11/7)
People in NZ doing things with ideas for a good future here.
Radio NZ today – Country Life
Making a Lifestyle Block Make Money
The Madsens own a beautiful home in a cluster of lifestyle blocks in North Auckland. They have a few pigs and a sheep on their one hectare of land. So far, so ordinary. But the couple have built a unique way of life by turning the idea of the unproductive lifestyle block on its head. They run a herd of 150 cattle, over a number of blocks. (duration: 11′23″)
Download: Ogg Vorbis MP3
and
A New Home for Koanga Institute and Gardens
For the past 25 years Kay Baxter and her husband Bob Corker have been saving New Zealand’s heritage fruit trees and vegetables at Koanga Gardens in Kaiwaka. But five years ago they decided they needed a new place to live so have found a new home near Wairoa where they’re developing a Community Land Trust which they hope will support up to 30 families. (duration: 22′03″)
Download: Ogg Vorbis MP3
and
Wool Based Disposable Nappies
Potroz-Smith Technologies is developing a super absorbent wool-based material called NatraZorb, to be used in disposable nappies, amongst other things. Derelee Potroz-Smith says the idea started on her family’s Taranaki farm with romney sheep. (duration: 6′11″)
Download: Ogg Vorbis MP3
Hi sysop. I cannot get an email to you from Contact . I think I have done everything right, studied and copied the convoluted cypher but no Send.
Worse Off Under National
Wasn’t Citizen A amusing last night. Cameron Slater squirming when put on the rack concerning his infamous gut shot comments re Arie Smith-Voorkamp was priceless. But then the ignoramus AKA Whaleoil made a most interesting revelation, which seems strange in context to his normal campaign of disinformation…
Meanwhile, in the USA
Personally I think that there will be a deal to raise the debt ceiling, and that a crisis will be averted. However it will involve slashing what is left of the USA’s social safety net and public sector. And quite a few more people will consigned into hardship, or worse. But really, what’s a few more in the scheme of things.
40 years ago, only Nixon could go to China. Now in 2011, only Obama could cut Social Security (and Medicare)
Republicans and Democrats are two sides of the same coin.
One possible outcome is that they increase the Federal Debt Limit but with no changes to entitlements or tax increases i.e. they just kick the can a bit further down the road. What do you reckon the chances are?
Nope cant see that happening. After all, folding to his opponents is what Obama does best.
Iwi aristocrats want to keep using foriegn vessels
Unemployment is skyrocketing among Maori youth, yet tribal leaders would rather employ fishing boat crews from overseas instead of purchasing their own boats and training up their young people to crew them.
Im guessing they would rather use the profits to dish out scholarships to family members and buy BMW’s.
If Hone wants any modicum of respect, then he should be highlighting this issue, instead of throwing his toys when he doesn’t get is own way when he is sworn in.
Would be interesting to identify which iwi in particular…
So the thin blue line (aka ‘the filth’) have performed another summary execution when they gunned down an admittedly troublesome person at the Headlands Hotel according to media reports….
“I am able to confirm that the man was challenged, a dog deployed, there was a struggle and Police discharged a firearm.”
The man died at the scene.
The police shot was the only shot fired, he said.
The man’s gun had not yet been found.
A knife was found near his body, Mr Handcock said.”
What are tasers and pepper for? Oh thats right, they are to ensure compliance not end this sort of situation in a non lethal way. The fact is whenever the pigs draw a firearm prepare to die as they are trained to aim at the torso only, ie shoot to kill. Fer crissakes they had 30 plus special coppers hanging around and it just looks like a grotesque training exercise given the forces involved.
I hope they got it right.
We are not in Afghanistan.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/5295727/Police-shoot-gunman-Anthony-Ratahi-dead
Really?
The stand-off began last night, when Ratahi stormed into the hotel’s restaurant and pulled out a rifle.
“He was yelling at us to get out and I just yelled at the girls to move, move, move and we all ran for the front door,” said witness Kathy Muggeridge.
“As soon as the guy saw police approaching he pulled out a gun and that was when he pointed it … and told us to go.”
Witnesses said they saw the gunman beating up a waitress and dragging her across the floor.
Inspector Pat Handcock told media the man was shot once and died at the scene. He was armed with what was thought to be a handgun.
Ratahi has previously been charged with assaulting a woman using a knife and injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Early this morning, the man could be heard yelling at police.
”You come over here, sonny boy – I’ll shoot you first,” he said.
Yeah thats right when someones got a firearm its reasonable to use a taser and pepper spray on them
I know this might be a foriegn concept but maybe in future:
Don’t kidnap people
Don’t beat up women (actually don’t beat up anybody)
Don’t threaten people with a firearm
Don’t threaten the police with a firearm
Give yourself up when challenged by the police
It is really difficult to follow the logic of John Key & the Nats in relation to a CGT. Is the guy actually thinking lucidly or groping around for some solid arguments against the tax.
I heard him on the radio today stating how ‘NZ needs more tax payers, not a new tax’. Has it escaped his attention that a CGT is about broadening the tax base and bringing into the tax system parts of the economy which are not taxed at present. Ipso facto, more tax payers.
On the news tonight Bill English states that people not paying tax on income earned is ok whereas the likes of Selwyn pellett and Gareth Morgan are both saying they should be paying tax on hitherto untaxed profits.
The Nats have really struggling to be coherent at the moment.
They are shotgunning lines to the public to see what hits the target.
Basically, they are picking random words out of a dictionary to see if something works.
Should be pretty obvious to all now that they have now plan, no clue, for most New Zealanders.
That sounds right.
At the rate they are going, they can be their own target.
Along the lines of my comments further above and more succinctly:
Phil Goff: Gravitas
John Key (donkey): Ass
How do you tell when legislation is a good idea?
Conservatives oppose it on the flimsiest of grounds
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5294798/Labour-site-victim-of-high-speed-morons
Seriously Labour stop using the internet untill you find someone who knows what they’re doing