Tax cuts, one-off payment, or something better?
Budget papers just released reveal that Treasury recommended a package of measures to reduce debt including an 8-year suspension of the Cullen fund […]
Economy
tax
Rhetoric and reality
Tax cuts are the right wing’s favourite answer to every question. Before the election, National were promising us that tax cuts were the […]
Government waste
There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth from the right when Labour and the Greens filibustered the other week to draw the […]
Quote competition
So, in the light of yesterday’s budget, I propose a quote competition. Post your favourite Nat quotes! We could start with two categories. […]
Herald preaches class warfare
If you’d told me the Herald would use International Workers’ Day as an opportunity to preach class warfare I wouldn’t have believed you. […]
Jarring
Today Phil Goff’s question to Key is: “Does he agree with the statements in the House by his Minister of Finance on 16 […]
We deserve better
Duncan Garner on TV3 News According to the poll, 52.6 percent of voters agree the cuts should be cancelled, 37.9 percent say they […]
What a joke
This shows how meaningless tax cuts are. From last night’s TV3 poll: When you receive tax cuts this month [they began on April […]
Budget 2009: Why not tax the rich?
With the Government openly preparing the public for spending cuts in the upcoming Budget, No Right Turn reminds us that there are alternatives […]
The tax cut bandwagon
For the last two election campaigns we had to put up with National, aided and abetted by many commentators, dominating the agenda with […]
Who’s zooming who?
The Herald reports: Last week John Key used poor United States sales of the new BMW 7-series – 10 were sold in February, […]
The spun praising the spinner
Falling for a politician’s tricks – that’s gullibility Seeing those tricks for what they are – that’s nous Seeing them for what they […]
Mana enhancement – fail
To further enhance their mana Te Ururoa Flavell and Rahui Katene spent their questions in parliament yesterday asking patsies to National. ‘How will […]
Regurgitating rubbish
On his blog Colin Espiner rejects the argument that National’s tax cuts are “unfair because they give more to those who earn more” saying “I’m afraid […]
Happy tax cut day?
The tax cuts that National are implementing today are more generous to high income earners, and less generous to low income earners, than […]
Herald: You’re too poor to exist
What’s missing here? Oh yeah. Half the population. Everyone on less than $25,000. According to The Herald if you’re not rich you don’t […]
Brits aim assistance to the low income
The irony of this article struck me when this week the well-off get the biggest boost to their wallet. From the Guardian : […]
Tax cuts for some
The Weekend Herald’s front page proclaims ‘$2 billion more in the pocket“. The article goes on to say “the average worker will get […]
Douglas gets it
Roger Douglas in a press release today: National’s goal of a top personal, company and trustee tax rate of 30 cents in the […]
Thanks, I guess
Growing up I always knew the rich had it better than us. It’s only now that I’m one of the wealthy that I […]
Redistributing the wealth
In a speech to the International Fiscal Association Conference today, Revenue Minister Peter Dunne said the Government’s goal over the next 18 months […]
Tory charity
According to the Herald John Key has declared people should spend their tax-cuts on charities and wants an American “culture of giving” to […]
Running the lines
No surprise to see The Herald editorial still running National’s lines. Now that Key’s equivocating on National’s planned tax cuts Granny’s right in […]
Tax cuts no help for those worse off
According to RNZ: Official papers confirm low income families will be worse off under the National Government’s tax cut package, compared with Labour’s. […]
Keith Rankin: Controversy over National’s Tax Cuts
If you’re feeling lost in the discussion around National’s tax plans there’s handy analysis from Keith Rankin who point out: … persons earning between $14,000 […]
Tax increases into law
The tax bill has just been passed into law. The Maori Party voted for it. They also voted against the Cullen amendment that […]
The prideful cowards
So far, the Maori Party has refused to take its opportunities to contribute to the debate on the tax bill before Parliament. They […]
CTU calls for fairer tax cuts
The Council of Trade Unions is calling on National to re-jig its tax package to give it more balance. And fair enough too […]
‘Become a nation of savers’
That’s Finance Minister Bill English’s message to Kiwis. So, that would be why he is cutting our Kiwisaver nesteggs in half to pay […]
All the facts
National’s David Farrar has been running a series for some time trying to paint NZ Labour as out of step with Labour Parties […]
Right plans give away to rich at your expense
Part of the National/ACT government’s agreement is that a top tax rate of 30% will be the target for the ‘medium term’. Such […]
The Standard line: Tax cuts
[update: download this (tax-and-kiwisaver-calculator) simple excel table that will calculate tax cut and Kiwisaver losses under Labour and National, and the difference, for you and […]
The Standard line: Kiwisaver
So, you’re talking with someone about politics and they say something really dumb and wrong and you know it’s wrong but you don’t […]
Wrong time for short-term thinking
National’s Nick Smith has announced that they would cancel the $1 billion fund to insulate New Zealand houses, which the Greens won as part of the […]
Trickle-down
A few thoughts from today’s Agenda: Questioned about why National would introduce another tax rebate, having endlessly criticised Working for Families because of […]
John’s cheese
For the many of you who won’t know, Tory boys David Farrar and Cameron Slater have been driving around the country interviewing MPs […]