Without a doubt, the election is on a knife-edge.
Thursday’s Colmar Brunton poll had Labour in the lead. It foreshadowed that the country’s new government is likely to be a coalition between Labour, the Greens, and the Maori Party.
Such a ‘progressive’ combination would deliver the most radical government in New Zealand’s history: one that would be deeply socialist in partnership with radical environmentalists and radical activists committed to the return of Maori sovereignty.
Tuesday’s Reid Research poll, on the other hand, gave National a ten point lead. If that had been an election night result- after accounting for the ‘wasted’ vote from parties that didn’t make the 5 percent Parliamentary threshold – it would probably have been enough for National to govern alone.
However, if that were the case, National is likely to bring its ‘support’ parties – ACT and the radical Maori Party – into a coalition, as it did after the 2014 election.
The tight election race is also making it difficult for minor parties, as their supporters are increasingly drawn towards voting for the major parties instead.
Tuesday’s poll had the Greens, which has no electorate seat to fall back on, with 4.9 percent support, and out of Parliament.
New Zealand First has also lost support, from over 16 percent in a UMR poll in July, to now just 6 percent. While Winston Peters won the Northland electorate seat in the 2015 by-election, with National campaigning hard to win it back, there’s no certainty that he will retain it. Without it, New Zealand First is extremely vulnerable, to any further slide in support.
With the polling booths now open and voting underway, it is difficult to predict quite how the election will end up – especially as it doesn’t appear that widespread disillusionment is driving the mood for change.
A Listener poll published last week showed 84 percent of New Zealanders believe that the country is doing incredibly well for a small nation at the bottom of the world, and, given the current state of the world, 76 percent think there is no better place to live.
When asked about the preferred Prime Minister, while 46 percent chose Jacinda Ardern, compared to 36 percent choosing Bill English, when it came to which leader is most capable of managing the economy, Bill English was well ahead on 47 percent, with Jacinda Ardern trailing on 29 percent.
In other words, while New Zealanders appear to believe that the country is doing relatively well, with National ably guiding us through two earthquakes, a global financial crisis, and commodity slumps, they nevertheless appear ready to toss them out in favour of the new face of Labour.
So, the real question is why are swinging voters rejecting National? Have they lost sight of how important the sound financial management of the economy really is?
Without a doubt, with her quick smile, Labour’s new leader comes across as being extremely reasonable. She tells us that she’s open and honest and transparent. But, when you look into it, the reality is the opposite.
Jacinda Ardern is asking us to trust her, yet she’s refusing to tell us exactly how much of our assets and wealth she intends to commandeer through her raft of ill-defined new taxes.
The point is that anyone who aspires to be New Zealand’s Prime Minister owes it to the country to spell out exactly what they intend to tax, and by how much, before an election. If they don’t have the courage or the knowledge to do this, they do not deserve to be our leader.
So what do we know about Labour’s proposed tax increases?
When it comes to income tax, Labour plans to take away the tax cuts that are legislated to come into effect on April 1st that will give those on the average wage an extra $1,000 a year.
To do this, Labour will change the bottom two tax thresholds so the lowest tax rate of 10.5 percent will only apply to income up to $14,000 – instead of $22,000 – and the 17.5 percent tax rate will only apply to income up to $48,000 – instead of $52,000.
While Labour has said it won’t raise the top income tax rate, the Green Party leader James Shaw says otherwise. He explained on RadioNZ, that under a Labour-Green coalition, raising the top rate of tax from 33 percent to 40 percent for anyone earning over $150,000 a year, is not out of the question.
When it comes to a capital gains tax, Labour’s obfuscation has created such a debacle, that tax has become Jacinda Ardern’s Achilles Heel.
Former Labour Prime Minister David Lange once described a capital gains tax as the sort of tax you introduce if you want to lose not just one election, but the next three!
Believing they knew better, Labour leaders went into the last two elections – Phil Goff in 2011 and David Cunliffe in 2014 – with a detailed capital gains tax policy and lost.
This time around, former Labour leader Andrew Little decided on a more devious approach – once elected to government, he proposed setting up a tax working group to decide on a capital gains tax policy, that would then be put to voters for a mandate at the 2020 election.
Once anointed as Labour’s new leader, Jacinda Ardern made a “captain’s call” – saying the capital gains tax was too urgent to wait until 2020 and she would introduce it after this election.
Following a predictable outcry at her plan to introduce major tax reform without a public mandate, Jacinda Ardern was forced to make another “captain’s call” to reverse her previous “captain’s call”. Now she’s promoting Andrew Little’s policy but stressing her U-turn was not a back down.
So, to clarify, Labour’s new capital gains tax policy involves setting up a tax working group after Saturday’s election, and passing their recommendations into law before the 2020 election. The enactment date for the new capital gains tax would be set for after that 2020 election so voters would have a chance to reject it by tossing Labour out of office.
This week’s NZCPR Guest Commentator, retired Judge Anthony Willy explains why Labour’s plan to devolve tax decisions to a panel of experts after the election is so deceitful:
“A variation on the conventional socialist mantra of tax and spend has surfaced in the run up to the forthcoming election it is: cheat and tax. What it involves is to deny that a Labour/Greens/ Maori Party government if elected has any plan to raise taxes or introduce new imposts, but that it will devolve the whole question to a panel of experts. They will then make the decisions on behalf of the government.
“To even float this idea of third party policy making as an inducement to voters to cast their vote for the Labour Party and its acolytes is not only dishonest but exposes the vacuity and ignorance of the new leadership of the taxation of the subjects, which by any measure is the most important function of government. The current leadership of the Labour Party does not appear to understand that without taxes no government can function, and that the balance to be struck between the plucking of the goose and its demise is a matter upon which all voters are entitled to a say before they cast their votes – not something imposed on them by a faceless committee after they have voted.”
So what do we know about the details of Labour’s capital gains tax plan?
Even though most research shows that capital gains taxes are only effective if family homes are included, at this stage Labour has ruled out the family home, knowing that it would not get elected if they were included.
Based on Labour’s previous capital gains tax policies, the new tax is also likely to exclude collectibles such as cars, jewellery and art, retirement savings such as KiwiSaver, term deposits, small businesses worth less than $250,000, lottery and gambling winnings, and Maori land.
On the other hand it is likely to include investment property, commercial property, shares, business interests worth over $250,000, assets held in trust, inherited assets, farms including non-family dwellings, machinery and stock, and intellectual property.
When it comes to other taxes, such as death duties, land tax, gift duties, inheritance tax, and stamp duty, Labour has not made it clear whether those will be the subject of more “captain’s calls” or whether they will be left to the tax working group to decide.
The capital gains tax debacle has not caused Labour to back away from other new tax proposals.
They still intend to single out and punish property investors by extending the existing ‘bright line’ test, that requires a capital gains tax to be paid on residential properties sold by non-owner occupiers within two years of purchase, to five years.
They will further penalise property investors by introducing “ring-fencing”, to prevent them from offsetting tax losses against any other income.
Labour still plans to impose a $25 tax on all tourists coming to New Zealand, and a10-cents-per-litre regional fuel tax in Auckland.
And they still intend to go ahead with their water tax, even though this will create a huge raft of difficulties for the country.
In yet another ‘trust us and vote for us and we’ll tell you how much we intend to penalise you after the election’ scenario, Labour has not only not revealed the actual cost of their water tax, but they haven’t told the public what the impact will be on household budgets – even though that is where the greatest burden will fall.
What we do know is that a punitive royalty will be imposed on the country’s twenty or so bottled water businesses, and that all commercial water users will be forced to pay a levy, including fruit and vegetable growers, wine makers and breweries, dairy farmers and all food processors, as well as everyone else who uses the country’s plentiful supply of fresh water in their production chain.
What Labour has not disclosed is just how much of this water tax they intend to siphon off to Maori interests, who will pocket the benefits every time a commercial user turns on the tap.
Nor have they revealed how many billions of dollars of extra funding they will need to cover the massive Treaty of Waitangi claims that will undoubtedly be triggered once they put a price on water.
Labour still intends to go ahead with increasing the cost of the Emissions Trading Scheme, even though they haven’t disclosed to those who will be affected exactly how much the carbon tax will cost.
Although higher carbon taxes will penalise the business sector, forcing up the cost of power, petrol and everything else, Labour has also failed to advise the public of the likely impact their new taxes will have on family budgets, since it is households that will again bear the major burden of cost.
Once Labour includes agriculture in the ETS, New Zealand will lead the world in being the only country with a government that is foolish enough to penalise food producers in this way. Not only is it totally irresponsible to force up the cost of food through an emissions trading scheme, but it is also completely unnecessary. The reality is that pastoral farming is essentially carbon neutral, since grasslands, like forests, act as carbon sinks and absorb greenhouse gases.
If the polls are correct, Labour, the Greens, and the Maori Party will form the next Government.
What is most concerning is that the responsible manner in which National has managed the economy over the last nine years is not considered important enough to assure them of another term in government.
Is it now the nature of politics, that style beats substance?
On Saturday we will find out whether we are going to have more of the same, or whether the radicals will be in charge of our money and our legislature.
THIS WEEK’S POLL ASKS:
Do you agree with Labour that New Zealand needs more taxes?
*Poll comments are posted below.
*All NZCPR poll results can be seen in the Archive.
THIS WEEK’S POLL COMMENTS
| Not Yet!! | David |
| NZ HAS ENOUGH TAXES | MAURICE |
| NZ tax system regarded internationally as one of the best and fairest in the world, so NO we don’t need more taxes. I have never voted for Nats (NZF for me) but will do this time, SO NZ, THIS TIME, VOTE NATIONAL – and WAKE UP NZ!! | U |
| Less and more simplified taxes | Petek |
| My own observation and listening to the comment at our local hostelry is as follows: First group headed by The elderly professional gentleman ho told me triumphantly that he has alreqady voted for Jacinda because she is a pretty girl and has plenty to say for herself is I suspect, dreaming just dreaming. Economics, Mathematics? Ah they don’t matter, quoth he,,,she has bright ideas and that is what we need . When I asked him if he was therefore supporting the introduction of a Capital Gains Tax which he would once never have had in mind in his professional days, he suggested that that does not matter any more……his mentally detached friends all nodded sagely in agreement………….. Then there is the other group, who still question everything intelligently. These are the Oldies who are NOT immediately heading for the Dementia Ward. You work it out.! | Mabel |
| Your column very capably sets out why NZ does not need more taxes and why we should re-elect a National Government for the betterment of us all | JayJay |
| Devious technique to buy votes from Non Working people | Pierre |
| `The public need to be made aware that National has some deal with Maori iwi about a water tax also. Winston Peters made the claim on the Am. show 19/9/17! | Monica |
| But we do nead fairer taxes spread over the corperates that don’t pay their fair share | Peter |
| Will we get Labour and Greens and some new taxes, OR National and the Maori Party and some new taxes that they have been planning for after the election, and we also loose all rights to our coastline under negotiations National have already secretly had with the Maori to kept them in government. Who wins the election either way The Maori ! | Peter |
| Higher costs are the last thing we need | Lyn |
| No, I don’t trust Labour at all, I have a long memory. | Athol |
| The countries that have the lowest taxes in the world have the best economies. Have the idiot Socialists not noticed? | Jim |
| Its all very scary. | Sheena |
| Unprintable | Russ |
| Definately NO more tax. The saying: If it ain’t broken don’t fix it. | Harry |
| Definitely no new taxes. GST is a huge tax and needs to be reduced. Labour will penalise the hard working middle class even more. Collect taxes from charitable trust who operate as profitable business. Including Maori trusts. | Sam |
| Pathetic Lefties | Catherine |
| No | Wayne |
| There is enough now. Its all about priorities on what our money is spent on. EG. 10.4 Billion Dollars for so called climate change. Not global Warming anymore because the planet has actually cooled in the last 100 years. . the UN for them to di to There is enough of our money taken from us now. Just use it in the right manner. Not 10.4 Billion dollars to UN so we can allegedly control the climate. What a joke its like some one urinating into the wind. They think they are God and our leaders are quite happy to hand our sovereignty over to UN, an organisation now dominated by lots of little Nations that have foundational beliefs that are quite quite evil. Like there are no bad cultures only different ones. Yes the Head of Culture in UN said this recently. So Isis is not a bad culture. UN is now a deeply deceived group. Wake up NZ. Don’t be a Jacinder follower she says on most l foreign policy, specially defence,, we’ll let the UN decide. If we do that we will wake up one day with a country that is just like parts of Europe and the middle east in total chaos. Be carefull what you vote for.. | Dene |
| what we really need is a whole lot less FREELOADERS | Roy |
| L | Barbara |
| Crazy a government run by committees of who knows who. Crazy Labour not giving their policies/aims pre election | Judy |
| Better control of expenditure is the real way forward. | Kerry |
| Absolutely not We are overtaxed already | Craig |
| No more taxes please. Cut down on the number of bureaucrats and red tape and reduce expenditure. | David |
| Adhern = lipstick Labor = fat Communist PIG | Steve |
| No. What we NEED is a flat tax with no exemptions, so the burden is spread equally across individuals AND businesses. We could achieve a lower tax rate for all, if we eliminated the loopholes big money earners currently use. Further, we need a government that will bring back our Democracy, where we enjoy free speech, and all people are given EQUAL rights and privileges, as our forefathers promised. | Joyce |
| Absolutely not. | Tim |
| We should be able to write off losses against our income and do not need capital gains tax because we have to pay back depreciation when we sell a rental property’ | George |
| The NZ tax base is about correct, maybe a little high. Charities running businesses should be taxed on the same rate as Companies pay | Leon |
| Some of the taxes proposed are VERY DANGEROUS IN THERE DOWN STREAM EFFECTs. | Maurice |
| no no no,no and no more money to the part maori waitangi trough | James |
| I can see that labour are going to need a crap load of money to fund their, and the greens, economy destroying policies. And there are the greedy maoris, they are going to be laughing all the way to the bank AGAIN. That is the prospect for us all if the stupid voters decide to “give them a go”. This is not an “our turn, their turn” thing as we would see that labour gilrie spouting. Helen got in on a bribe, the interest free loans debacle, and this other woman if she gets in, will be using the same deception. A change of government will cost this country billions which we may never recover from. AGAIN. | Neil |
| Why bother when all is going well now. | Murray |
| If labour gets in the country will be broke within two years | Tom |
| We may do but the tax needs to be wrung out of those that are avoiding it e.g. Charitable trust companies, offshore avoidance and a few other avoidance schemes. | Robert |
| Not bloody likely! God help us it they and their cronies get in. | Elizabeth |
| I cannot believe that so many New Zealanders can be so blind to the fact that this campainging by Labour will take the country back years. The amount of taxes tbey have mentioned is absolutely frightening. As a superannuiant I am so concerned about the extra costs we are somehow going to have to absorb. | Laraine |
| If ( heaven forbid) we get a Labour Green Maori coalition, within 3-5 years we will get economic collapse. The stupidity of all the lemmings rushing, begging for more taxes leaves me speechless. | Leonie |
| No, No, No!!! | John |
| WE already pay over 50% of our income earnings in various taxes. Why should we pay more just to line the pockets of the elite. | Kevin |
| A lot has been discussed here but on the subject of water tax that seems to be so emotive, tell me why the government shouldn’t impose a royalty on using the label “pure NZ water’. This would exclude all current commercial users of water and would offer some consolation that businesses that sell our water will have to pay something towards it. | Alan |
| How independent can a body be when it is selected by a political party.?? Transparent _ get real! You tell people before not after an election. | Kathleen |
| Labour are fools, their lack of tax policy details ensures I vote National. | Ian |
| I don’t trust them. | Arthur |
| Of course we don’t want more tax, but the real problem is [1] Our national debt is 10 times what it was when National took office. [2] National have ratified the Paris climate change scam, that will cost us ONE POINT FOUR BILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY & for what? some valueless carbon credits that cost nothing to print. [3] Since coming to office, National have accepted 500,000 new immigrants, without building one new hospital, & still struggling with all of the other necessary infrastructure. [4] Bureaucracy has doubled over the last nine years, which means a huge increase in the public servants wage bill. So NO, we don’t want more tax, but realistically, this country is not in a good financial state.. | A.G.R. |
| We will wind up with the government complacency deserves. | Paul |
| Economically wrong. | Monty |
| ONLY SOME NOT ALL THEY ARE SAYING | Cindy |
| Reckless pre-election promises cost money though. | Edgar |
| God help us if this goes Labours way. | Donald |
| Absolutely Not .. NZ’ers pay one of the highest tax rates in the western word already | Elayne |
| National have completely ignored the environment, healthcare and education. This is despite their only plan to run the economy is to flood the country with new migrants. Until a party has the balls to run an election of abolishing the healthcare and education then sufficient capital must be raised to properly fund these areas. national do not have the knowledge or the vision to so this. | David |
| Why are they not telling people that in Auckland we pay a Water Tax for water in & water out, Also cut the burrcat staff back by 50% & that is where they will get most of there money from. | Geoff |
| Absolutely NOT, we are already taxed in the extreme. This suggestion is typical from the socialists in their attempts to buy votes. The chronic waste of taxpayers money by politicians in this country is already horrific.. The claim that labour wont reveal what they plan in raising taxes until after the election should they win is a classic example of their arrogance and contempt for the people of NZ. To our misfortune we have to endure a low calibre of politicians in this country who frequently confirm that. | David |
| Our country is going well at present and has been well governed. | Robert |
| Labour/Greens/Maori say that a large amount of tax is required to bring people/children out of poverty. Why? So many millions of dollars have been paid for maori “claims” that one must ask why so many maoris are “in poverty”….who is not passing on the “settlements”? And even if money was passed on, does anyone really believe that there would be no maori children turning up at school with no breakfast, no cut lunch? Child poverty is in the hands of their own race, their refusal to pass settlement monies to their people, keeping it all for the iwi leaders’ benefits. So there’s one reason for additional tax taken out. Someone else can make the case for dropping the other daft ideas. | Alan |
| Hell no! | Brenda |
| They cannot help themselves,. How to destroy a country in short order. | Wayne |
| Labour is the “Robin Hood” party. They steal from the rich and give to the poor. | Neil |
| Historically taxes hinder production and assists benefits. Tax the ‘rich’ productive sector and kill the fatted calf – ring bark the money tree! Just as socialism and communism led by Stalin and Hitler did! | Stuart |
| Health/education/housing, all need more finances. | Gerard |
| If we get Labour,the Greens & Maori for our next Government, NZ Is doomed! | Alan |
| We need less taxes and a flat rate of tax for all citizens – I lived in Bermuda for 3 years where there is no income tax just a sales tax so you can save quickly if you wish. We have taxes on taxes! Problem is with Bill English et al we get the weakest PM in my 43 years of living in NZ. Labour will be a disaster. Go Winston…. | Rick |
| Labour is just a bunch of losers with no original ideas | Neville |
| But only if they are used in a socially responsible manner, e.g. access to justice, food, housing, etc. | Andy |
| Only if the outcomes benefit the average Kiwi. Not the affluent businesses and individuals. | John |
| If they get in our gst will go to 20% or higher as well as other increases they talk about so they can pay for all the claims that bunch of half cast will put forward. | Richard |
| Is this a trick question. New Zealand needs more taxe’s like it needs a Labour Govrnment. Vote National and have the country running smoothly as it has been for the last 9 years but get rid of that slimy finlayson. | Ralph |
| More taxes is preferrable to less services. Our health services are in disarray. They need a major input of government funds to get them in line. As baby boomers age and need health services the nation must be ready to provide these promptly. | Peter |
| God help us all if the mad Trio get into power. | Rod |
| How about they stop all the charitable trusts and tax them all especially all Maori trusts. | John |
| No comment needed really, perhaps only to ask where Labour intends to get the vast millions needed to finance it’s so-called policies – seems to me the party has been less than honest with the electorate in claiming that it has any policies at all, other than tax and spend. | Andrew |
| High taxes destroy vibrant economies. 45% of revenue collected now is poorly spent. Don’t encourage this lunacy! | Willy |
| We need fewer bureaucrats and less NGOs etc in order to reduce the proportion of GDP spent by government. I would probably vote for TOP Party if it wasn’t for the ridiculous proposal to tax unrealised gains on family homes. | William |
| We have taxes on taxes. We don’t need anymore taxes. Who in their right mind will vote for Labour. | Darryl |
| Labour can not think past TAX and trying to save the poor and whatever else they will catch them in the vicious web with everyone else. Remove some of the taxes and see how we go. | Elizabeth |
| Comrade Taxinda, if elected, will ruin this country. | Geoff |
| You cannot tax a country into prosperity at any level. | Les |
| We are already paying more tax than we need to but for the increasing waste on Green Economy & Maori demands! | Cyril |
| Why fix what is working already..only fools do that. | Audrey |
| Yes. On the wealthy and those whose incomes are not from productive sources. | Tony |
| Any idiot can see we don’t need more taxes. | Clark |
| Like Colmar Brunton it a political biased ploy of no consequence.will not happen..LOL | Ian |
| Create the short fall out of thin air just like the banks | stj |
| Is a vote for Act wasted? | Michael |
| The proposed tax system as set up by the National Party is adequate for New Zealand’s needs. | Dennis |
| The present government collect enough taxes right now to run the country and increase our surpluses. | Chris |
| OMG No!!!!! | Maddi |
| No,No,No. | Richard |
| Absolutely not! | Lois |
| The National Government has done an amazing job in keeping NZ in such good shape in spite of great adversity without having to resort to extra taxes. We are the envy of the rest of the western world. Why are people so fickle to be swayed by constant and destructive bribes from Ardern and Labour? | Mary |
| Definitely not. Labour is sounding very devious on this one and I don’t trust them one inch. If they get in, we will get more taxes. That’s a given. | Helen |
| This is stupidity in the extreme – anyone who wants a socialist (Make that communist) society in this once wonderful country needs their head read! | Rob |
| Tax REDUCTION is what is required, and socialists do not understand the word ! | William |
| It is the only way to reduce the appalling gap between rich and poor. | John |
| Far from being ‘transparent’, Jacinda Ardern is tricky: she has already said that the impost on fresh water isn’t a tax, but a ‘royalty’. If a Labour-led coaltion gets into power, it will similarly bring into effect many other covert taxes, dressed up as ‘levies’, ‘supplements’ and so on. They’ll depend on the fact by the time of the next election, the public will have become so used to these taxes, that it will no longer be an issue. A Labour-Greens-Maori party coalition will be disastrous for this country, and even if they’re voted out in 2020, the damage done in the meantime will be irreparable. One can only hope that the polls are wrong, and that New Zealand First will not only hold the balance of power, but will also support a National government. | Graham |
| I voted against this question because it is ingenueous. Yes, we need more taxes, but has Labour actually said that we need more taxes. Well no they havn’t as they say they will appoint a committee of tax experts havn’t they? And does NZ need more taxes? Well yes it needs to tax farmers for their carbon emissions. It does need to use taxes to discourage investment in the housing sector to move it the the productive sector, and to prevent the capital gain benefits that investors make in the housing sector. It also need taxs policy that will close the gap between the rich and the poor. We cannot have the poorest homeless, and the richest commanding soo much power and influence. | Huria |
| We already have personal and gust taxes we don’t need any more | NevKath |
| We definitely need a tax on property speculation. NZ is obsessed with property speculation because it is tax free, even losses on your investment are tax deductable, how crazy is that and no tax on the profit when you sell and make a profit. I know this will annoy a lot of people but it just results in inflation which effects everyone. What other business can you operate that when you make a profit you don’t have to pay tax? | Jock |
| Are they mad? Or are they communist? | Simon |
| How much tax will ever be enough. The socialist numpties won’t be happy until the take 100% of our income. Labour,greens, Maori = communism = serfdom. | Don |
| Of course not this will just fill the Maori coffers again what are they thinking, that’s it they can’t think there thick. | Andrew |
| Do not kill the middle class off totally please. | Leonard |
| We don’t need more taxes, what we do need is more tax payers and less “gravy trains”. | Lorraine |
| ..Tax is the daylight robbery of the Human race….!!! I will be voting for the National Party gang NOW..!!!! | CHowes |
| This labour crowd has no idea of the effects of what they propose. Is a rental property a family home? if so – no capital gains tax. I.e. very few properties would qualify – What ignorance! | Ian |
| We need the flat 20% rate that was recommended years ago ! | Stuart |
| Won’t be able to eat, drive anywhere, etc if Labour’s Auckland petrol and water taxes are introduced as on the super. 10c per litre is a huge rise to those who don’t want to be in Auckland (but got dragged in to the ‘super city’) and who live rural. We only go into Auckland about twice a year and that is where all the money is going! Tolls is a fairer option. It is going to make people who are struggling now to be in the gutter when/if her taxes come in. | Chris |
| When it comes to real-estate investing then the answer is a resounding YES. We need an effective Capital Gains Tax to curb investors (both foreign & local) out of the housing market and give the first home buyers a fighting chance without competing against them. Remember, housing affordability is purely based on supply & demand. Furthermore, we need all real estate investment losses to be ring-fenced and can only be applied against future profits and not against personal income!! | Tony |
| We are over taxed in this country now and we are paying tax on tax’s in this country. Why don’t governments live with the taxs that are paid now. Are there more people within this country that are paying taxs or are there a lot of people not working who don’t pay taxs. Some big companies should be paying more TAX’s. | Robert |
| We need less tax not more NZ is at the cross roads – we are incrementally being led by the UN agenda 21-2030 – research this folks – if you value freedom of speech , freedom of worship and you understand the importance of private property right in NZ I am not sure who you would vote for to be frank!!! National have held the line fiscally , but have been following the UN agenda 21 – a Labour led govt will accelerate this agenda. SMEs need to beware – be educated by understanding the teeth that this agenda has. Farming and the service industries involved will be complied out of business if we dont stand against agenda 21 | Ross |
| No we have enough tax, it is just spent in the wrong places | Colin |
| We are already taxed too much | Jim |
| Why when we have good economic. Labours taxs and half bake policies will have the reverse effect. | Grant |
| We need more taxes because we need more health care, more education, more State houses, and probably more powerful defence forces. | Don |
| This Taxing policy by Labour is not to benefit ordinary New Zealanders., This regime of Taxing is designed to impoverish independent middle Income families, small business, Landlords and farmers so as to take away their independence and prepare the population by crisis for a sovereignty change to the MWO. This regime is not following New Zealand’s best needs, it is pandering to communist ideology and the confirmation of this is to observe the Labour and Greens front line team are made up of hard line socialists and mostly communists, seducing a gullible and naive young voting public with the promise of free stuff. | Richard |
| In fact, there needs to be an holistic, complete overhaul and simplification of the tax system. | I |
| Absolutely not! The dreadful taxes Labour are proposing will sink the economy and households budgets. | Darren |
| Labour is so stupid trying to sneak through a capital gains tax when the public have clearly said they don’t want one. They deserve to lose the election because of that. | Gordon |
| New Zealand’s taxes are too high as it is, we do not need more tax. | Paul |
| National has been gutless when it comes to tax – too timid by far. The country needs lower taxes and fewer of them not more and higher tax. | Graham |
| No, no, no! No new taxes – and leave our tax cuts alone! | Jenny |