Greens will finally close property speculators’ tax loophole
The Green Party in government will end the tax advantages property speculators currently enjoy under National by implementing a comprehensive tax on capital gains
Economy
tax
Pencilsword: Greed vs Need
Toby Morris explores the differences in how tax fraud and benefit fraud are dealt with, and asks where our sympathies should be.
Nats won’t follow Australia and UK in crackdown on multinational tax avoidance
Collins’ excuse is just waffle. Why won’t the Nats follow Australia and UK in a crackdown on multinational tax avoidance?
Tax cuts or fix this…
Auckland City Councilor Richard Hills yesterday tweeted some of the things we would like to see fixed before a tax cut. You might want to add to the list. Good thing Labour is promising to cancel the cuts and spend billions more on health and education.
National reckon public health and education are a waste of money?
According to Morning Report the Nats are calling Labour’s budget for more spending on health and education “a plan to waste more money”. Tell it to the people who can’t afford private alternatives and depend on the public systems.
The magical disappearing Foreign Trust industry
National’s original claims that New Zealand was not a tax haven are in tatters as the Sherwan rule changes have resulted in the mass exodus of Foreign Trusts from New Zealand.
Oil and Water Mix.
Our economic paradigm (market capitalism) and oil don’t mix. False hope (BECCS) and survival doesn’t mix. Current political settings (Paris pledges produce 3- 4 degrees C warming with the US on board) and intelligent action don’t mix. Incrementalism (time is not on our side) and AGW doesn’t mix. Whatever can’t be mixed into some AGW solution needs to be flushed.
Scary, huh? Well, yes and no…
What the feck Greens
The Green Party caucus decision to support the Government’s tax reduction legislation is hard to comprehend and has created a perception of messiness in the way the Labour-Green MOU operates.
Keith Ng’s four tax myths
A useful piece from Keith Ng on myths about tax. It’s an extract from The PSA’s “Progressive Thinking: Ten Perspectives on Tax” booklet.
The patriotic millionaires
In America a group of millionaires have emerged who are advocating for increased taxation for the wealthy and increased democratic rights to everyone else.
Why National had to settle the Pay Equity case
National is trying to give the impression that it settled the pay equity case out of the goodness of its heart. The reality is that the Unions forced it to settle through gritted teeth.
More thoughts on the Labour-Greens Budget Responsibility Rules
The Labour-Green Budget Responsibility Rules announcement this week ought to dispel the notion that Labour and the Greens cannot work together.
A taxing question or two
Apple aren’t paying tax – are we doing all we can so multi-national’s do pay their share? And would the public actually prefer a tax rise (and decent housing/ health / education) rather than a tax cut?
Fix our tax law!
Multinationals exploit our tax laws to pay no tax in NZ. Matt Nippert has been doing great work on this, and his latest this weekend on Apple is a powerful example. Planned changes to our laws don’t go far enough. We need to fix this. What’s the downside? What’s the delay?
Murdoch on the tax-cut striptease (NSFW)
English flogging National’s one-trick pony
Never mind the record debt, the dropped contributions to the Cullen fund, the housing crisis, rising poverty, the deteriorating health system, the costs of quake rebuilds, the filthy water, the need to prepare for climate change – never mind all that, have an election bribe!
National’s one-trick election pony – the eternal mirage of tax cuts
As Finance Minister Bill English effectively ruled out tax cuts, but it’s election year, and so of course the Nats can’t help but trot out their one-trick election pony again.
Bloomberg warns world of New Zealand’s toxic trusts
Bloomberg magazine has highlighted how foreign trusts are damaging New Zealand’s reputation and are being used for criminal activity.
NRT: Denying the obvious
I/S at No Right turn writes on Revenue Minister Collins’ denial of obvious tax avoidance.
Taxing multinationals
In March the Nats were still rejecting the idea of a crackdown on multinational companies’ tax avoidance. But there has been – in large part due to the work of Matt Nippert in The Herald – a partial back-down. Another Labour policy adopted!
Nats continue to have a quid each way on tax cuts
Tax cuts – the Nats are continuing to rule them both in and out for the election. Incoherence or deliberate strategy? Either way – Key got away with this kind of bullshit for 8 long years – are we going to let it continue?
Tax the Rich An animated fairy tale
A short video produced by US unions “to support a fairer tax system”.
The eternal tax-cut mirage
Despite the unknown cost of the quakes, and the host of other urgent needs, Key is once again talking up election-bribe tax cuts.
Nats backsliding on tax haven law changes
The Nats are backsliding on implementing the law changes brought on by the Panama Papers revelations. If European regulators blacklist us the consequences will be catastrophic.
Follow the money
Phase 2 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act is due to come into force soon and will require lawyers, accountants and other professionals to verify the source of client funds. This will give the Government increased power to monitor capital flows. What will they discover?
Tax cuts hard to sell
Herald: “…the Government ought to be banking surpluses, just as Sir Michael Cullen did during the boom of 2000-2007”.
European Union v Apple and the US
And in Europe the EU has taken steps against Apple for rampant tax evasion and an EU-US free trade deal appears to be dead.
Foreign buyers estimated at 29%
Most of the media has reported the Government’s “3%” spin on the extent of residential property purchases in NZ going to foreign buyers pretty uncritically. There have been honourable exceptions, and yesterday property editor Anne Gibson in The Herald joined them.
Taonga tax
Tourists are coming for our “clean green” image (however undeserved), no reason why they shouldn’t be happy to help contributing to maintaining / strengthening it.
Financial capital is crazy OP. Time to strip it back to basics.
Financial capital is way over powered in our current political economic system. Every aspect of our lives has been financialised and securitised, from our homes to our educations. From our drinking water to our power supply.
The EU thinks that our tax system’s clean bill of health is not so clean
The European Union is considering sanctions against New Zealand for operating as a tax haven and the proposed reforms by John Sherwin may not be enough.
The Chrematistic Camel
So this post is about a suite of frameworks not to adopt if the goal is to avoid 2 degrees of global warming.
Panama papers – Shewan inquiry – our rules are inadequate
There were many who were concerned that John Shewan was not a good choice for an inquiry into NZ’s tax haven system. Seems we owe Shewan an apology, as initial reaction suggests that he has done a good job.
Bill English unaware that GST is a tax shock!
Is it true that 40 percent of us pay no tax? Why, no, no it isn’t.
When is a toll road not a toll road?
When it is a variable network pricing mechanism …
Labour should front-foot tax
Good advice for Labour from Standard author Simon Louisson, writing on The Spinoff. Labour should front-foot tax!