Another Panama dump on NZ links
Australia’s Financial Review has just published more details of NZ’s starring role as tax haven in the Panama Papers.
Update: Claims that Key’s lawyer never dealt with Mossack Fonseca seem to be – untrue.
Economy
Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour
Pharmac underfunded and education cuts
It’s a steady attrition, the death of a thousand cuts.
Key’s sloppy trust
An editorial in The Herald today keeps the pressure on Key. Meanwhile his “lawyer” can’t be happy, and Key hits peak condescension.
Unemployment jumps
After eight long years of National there are almost 40,000 more unemployed than when they came to power.
REALITY TV UPDATE: Mark Weldon Wins NZ’s Biggest Loser.
MediaWorks CEO and mate of the PM, Mark Weldon, has quit his job. Is it too late to save MediaWorks? Should we care?
EDIT: Staff get in the champers shock!
The unfortunate case of the Overseas Investment Office handling of the purchase of a Taranaki Farm
They say in politics that a news story is good for the opposition/bad for the Government if it hits the media cycle two days in a row. If it appears for a third or a fourth day then it is a crisis and urgent action is required. Louise Upston’s handling of the OIO is clearly a crisis.
The wheels on the bus go round and round
Key chucks his “lawyer” under a bus – Part 2.
Climate Change Change Pt 1: What are we waiting for?
Before government spending cuts there was The Riot for Austerity, a grass roots Climate Change movement that showed how it was possible for ordinary people to change and significantly reduce their carbon emissions without someone forcing them to.
Compass serves up very little tax
Radio New Zealand has reported that Compass, supplier of our substandard hospital food, appears to be taking steps to minimise the tax it pays locally.
Maybe stop dropping it…
…the hot potato – stop dropping it. Maybe grow the fuck up and react intelligently to the blindingly obvious.
Key chucks his “lawyer” under a bus
Key has form on lying, you’d hope that his “lawyer” does not.
Tax haven questions for National
The weekend saw the pressure stay on National over our tax haven status, and the role Key might have played in protecting it.
Dunne concerned about “extremely damaging” tax haven label – years too late
Peter Dunne is concerned about the ‘extremely damaging’ tax haven label. Guyon Espiner points out that he used to call it ‘legitimate tax avoidance’.
Key’s Blind Trust vs Our Blind Faith
So Key’s lawyer reckons the PM directly requested that trust industry leaders lobby the Revenue Minister. On the other hand, PM DunnoKeyo reckons he did no such thing. That leaves some really big questions …
Mossack Fonseca bites National on the arse
John Key is facing some problems describing how a Mossack Fonseca company ended up owning a New Zealand farm and how after his lawyer asked the Government not to change the rules surrounding foreign trusts the Government moved to make sure that no rule change would occur.
Talleys Jump the Shark!
The truly awful Talley’s group have just taken NZ employment relations back a century or two by trying to get the Employment Court to gag the Meat Workers Union. Talley’s regard freedom of speech as a breach of good faith. They also want the union’s Darien Fenton barred from doing her job. Is it too soon to take Sir Peter Talley’s knighthood away from him?
Trade deficit worst in seven years
Add it to our record debt, our record pollution, our record housing unaffordability, our rising inequality, our terrible carbon emissions…
Key’s land tax – too weak
Reaction to Key’s land tax has been luke warm at best, with strong calls for more effective action. Labour is promising “a ‘tidal wave’ of big housing reforms”…
NRT: This is what happens if you don’t have a plan
I/S at No Right Turn on the renewables target and futility of targets without plans.
Key prepares to backflip on Auckland housing
John Key is preparing the ground for a reversal on National’s refusal to do anything about Auckland’s housing crisis.
NRT: Bill English wants to end your privacy
I/S at No Right Turn the “data supermarket” and privacy concerns. “The government wants to be able to effectively spy on and database everyone, so they can save a few dollars here and there.”
John’s Key’s “lawyer” is not a lawyer
John Key, explaining why he had an account with tax avoidance specialists Antipodes Trust Group, said he used the firm because his long-term friend, Ken Whitney, is a principal at the firm and has been his private lawyer for many years. The flaw in that theory is that Whitney is not currently a lawyer.
Stalled global economy and helicopter money
The global economy has been stuck in an ongoing crisis since 2008. Printing more money won’t fix it, but it looks like we’re going to try it anyway.
National gets a smacking on the housing crisis
Fair to say that Simon Bridges’ claim that there is no housing crisis has – not gone down well. National – you have a problem.
Saving the town
What do you do for a town when the company that provides all the jobs shuts down?
McCully, the National Party donation and the Niue resort
Murray McCully has assured New Zealand that there is no link between the granting of valuable rights to manage a luxury resort in Niue and the making of large donations to the National Party.
What tax evasion robs us of – in NZ
Gareth Morgan estimates that NZ could be missing out on up to 25% of total income tax because the rich aren’t paying their fair share. What could a government do with an extra $7.5bn a year?
London – tens of thousands march against austerity
In the UK, Cameron’s latest cuts have provoked a very public response.
Towards a new economic order
George Monbiot in the Guardian gives a precise and accurate description of neoliberalism and asks the question why has the left not come up with a modern alternative?
Job losses everywhere
Brighter Future. Cusp of Something Special. Tell it to the newly jobless.
The secrecy uprising
It is clear from John Key’s irresponsible reaction to accusations of NZ being a loosely controlled tax haven, that we are becoming an international target. Contrast that with European reactions, and then have a look at the David Brin’s prophetic reasons for the fictional Helvitica War…
The solar surcharge
Profit gouging or genuine need?
Panama papers – the dark side in a nutshell
What tax evasion robs us of
An interesting piece in The Guardian looks at the costs of tax evasion, and how (in America) the missing funds could be used to fund a UBI.
Holding back our productivity
Our “business leaders” are doing an objectively poor job. Perhaps instead of insulting Kiwi workers as “pretty damned hopeless”, Bill English should be taking aim at these captains of industry.