With President Trump doing what we all expected, and killing 67,000 people and counting through chronic poor leadership, and utterly ruining the U.S. economy as well, it’s time to look at what policies the alternative candidate has on offer.
Richard Branson, who has arranged his affairs so that he pays tax to no government, is upset that Governments are not bailing his empire out. And an idea has been floated to allow billionaires to set up boltholes in New Zealand.
The right, elements of which have thought the best thing to do to the state is weaken it that badly that they could then drown it in a bathtub, are rethinking and now realise that a well resourced, active and engaged State is actually a life saver.
Simon Bridges thinks that tax cuts are the best way to address financial stress caused by businesses by the Covid 19 epidemic. Even though businesses under financial stress will be paying little if any tax and a tax cut would have little if any effect.
Simon Bridges has claimed that the average wage earner in the country pays almost 33c in the dollar in taxes. Spoiler alert, they do not.
National will announce today that tax cuts will be a major policy plank for the next election.
US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has attacked Greta Thunberg for not understanding the economics of climate change. But he has then been roundly criticised by a number of people, including his wife.
We may as well prepare ourselves for Trump overperforming his popularity again and winning. We’ve had to deal with left’s retreat in most of the world in 2019. So let’s prepare and plot some likely accelerated changes in Trump’s second term.
Despite its continuous failure to work over the past 40 years trickle down remains a favourite justification by right wing administrations for allowing unfettered greed.
Some suggestions on how Labour can retain power at the next election.
National has released its economic policies for the next 12 months and they have a decidedly backward feeling about them.
With yesterday’s announcement by the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates by 1%, some are suggesting that the government should embark on a massive public works spree to stimulate the economy while increasing national debt at low interest rates. But Kiwisaver reform may be more effective.
Despite the babies and the engagements, maybe it’s time to ditch the default Jacindamania.
I’ve been musing on the subject of minor drugs that are currently illegal and their supply chain. It is early days so far, but almost all of the news coming through from where the recreational use of cannabis has been decriminalised hasn’t indicated dire consequences. There are some pretty obvious benefits – especially in the quality of supply.
* this is one possible interpretation for National’s praise of the Morrisonn Government’s change to Australian tax system.
Everyone knows that getting employers to increase rates of pay and improve conditions of work takes real pressure and the only real way working people can exert pressure, in the unbalanced relationship that exists between individual employees and employers, is by acting together; collectively. And that’s what we’ve been doing week in, week out and getting real results.
Act has proposed a tax increase for the bottom 64% of all tax payers.
Grant Robertson has announced there will be a relaxing of the fiscal responsibility rules, although not until after the next election.
Social media was responsible for the repeated broadcasting of the claim that Labor in Australia intended to bring in a death tax. What should happen when claims that are clearly wrong are made?
UK Labour has released a stunning advertisement on what happens if you give ordinary people more resources compared to if you give a billionaire a tax cut.
With the benefit of hindsight the decision not to proceed with a capital gains tax was almost inevitable.
The Government has announced that there will be no Capital Gains Tax. It’s a shame, but it’s good politics.
The Tax Justice Network has started a campaign to gain support for taxing capital as income to support and improve our public services. If you would like to support the campaign, you can sign the petition here or donate here. All funds donated will go to the campaign advertising.
The Taxpayer’s Union (not a real union) has hit peak irony by accusing another organisation of being an astroturf organisation.
Tax Justice Aotearoa has started a public campaign in support of a capital gains tax.
The most important comment in the Tax Working Group’s Final Report is that even the reasonably comprehensive capital gains tax proposed is likely to have only a minor impact on addressing inequality — what is needed is a more progressive income tax system that lifts the top marginal tax rate
A landlord has advocated that all landlords should threaten to increase tenant’s rentals if Labour wins the next election.
National has resorted to race baiting in its attempt to denigrate the Tax Working Group’s proposed capital gains tax.
The Government is not due to announce its response to the Tax Working Group’s recommendations for a few more weeks. It appears that National using outrageous assumptions will take the opportunity to raise horror stories in the media on how bad the tax could be.
National is grooming the voters for another dirty ACT.
National’s claim that a capital gains tax would reduce the value of an average worker’s Kiwisaver account by $64,000 over a 45 year working life seems to be as valid as Steven Joyce’s claim there was an $11.5 billion dollar hole in Labour’s draft budget.
Treat CGT like a semi-voluntary donation and give people a say in how it is spent.
Gerry Brownlee has been obliged to withdraw a Facebook ad about tax bracket creep after it was discovered he had used grossly overinflated figures.
Expert comment suggests that a capital gains tax will redress inequality, improve the economy and make housing more affordable.
There is a classic piece of waffle in the NZ Herald about when capital gains tax will apply to the family home. But the conditions when this applies are extremely simple and obvious. However professed experts on taxation like the so-called ‘taxpayers union’ can’t understand them. Probably because they are paid not to.
Spare a thought for poor landlords who are aghast at the thought that they should have to share capital gains on properties they have purchased with no intent of making a capital gain.
