tax Archive

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  Inequality solutions there, if we’re willing - by Holly Walker

  
  
  
  The OECD has confirmed what we already suspected with its ground-breaking report on inequality – Divided We Fall. The gap between rich and poor has grown exponentially since the 1980s in most developed countries – but none more so than in New Zealand. read more
  December 8, 2011 10:41 am - 78 Comments
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  State of the Planet speech 2011 - by frog

  
  
  
  Last Sunday Russel gave the annual State of the Planet speech to a packed and excited crowd at Te Mahurehure Marae in Auckland. It was a great and powerful speech that clearly defined the Green vision for Aotearoa. Russel also attacked National and Labour for bludging off our grandchildren and pulling the ladder of opportunity [...] read more
  February 3, 2011 9:22 am - 11 Comments
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  Coleman reads wrong speech - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  The Govt introduced a new bill tonight — Taxation (International Investment & Remedial Matters) Bill. Unfortunately, Jonathan Coleman, as the Minister introducing the bill, was given the speech notes for a different tax bill – the Taxation (International Taxation and Life Assurance and Remedial Matters) Bill. He gave this speech from 2008. Now we all make [...] read more
  November 9, 2010 9:13 pm - 19 Comments
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  Dunne and dumber: Income splitting back on the agenda - by frog

  
  
  
  Today, the Eternal Minister of Revenue, Peter Dunne, is scheduled to release details of his regressive and discriminatory income splitting tax Bill. Let’s hope National sees sense and promptly consigns this stupid idea to the dustbin of legislative history where it rightly belongs. read more
  August 16, 2010 9:03 am - 66 Comments
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  Stop grizzling Pat, and pay your fair share - by frog

  
  
  
  Lots of us work hard. But we pay our fair share of tax on what we earn. Why do property investors, whose income is derived from residential rents and capital gains, think they should get favours from the tax system that none of the rest of us get? read more
  March 7, 2010 5:51 pm - 49 Comments
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  Bankers – ‘the people’ are coming and they have pitchforks - by frog

  
  
  
  International support for the idea of a tax on financial speculation is growing. A tax of a fraction of one percent on every financial transaction would have little effect on normal share trading or currency movements. However to those who use high powered computers to make thousands of automatic trades each second, a fraction of [...] read more
  March 2, 2010 3:51 pm - 27 Comments
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  Your front door is open and your property investments are hanging out - by frog

  
  
  
  Labour MP Rick Barker and the people he says he’s been talking to just don’t seem to get it that when you work hard and save you should still pay tax on your earnings! Why should one form of income be tax free? Why not wages too? read more
  February 6, 2010 8:14 am - 112 Comments
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  Govt has Biz Roundtable on speed dial for advice - by frog

  
  
  
  During the Clark-Cullen years there was at least an attempt when setting up advisory boards and review panels to get a range of voices – not that the Clark-Cullen administrations would then necessarily utilise the advice given. In 2000 for example the Labour-Alliance Government picked Rob McLeod – then just a member of the Business [...] read more
  August 24, 2009 5:08 pm - 3 Comments
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  More rushed legislation under urgency - by frog

  
  
  
  Yesterday, the government decided that once again, it was important to run rough shod over parliamentary scrutiny by passing a motion for urgency and introducing new Bills and asking for debate before anyone had even seen the legislation. The Clerk of the House advises that urgency be accorded the introduction and first reading of the [...] read more
  February 11, 2009 1:06 pm - 48 Comments
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  Stimulus Reality: Spending creates VASTLY more jobs than tax cuts - by frog

  
  
  
  That is the title of a very thought provoking post over at OpenLeft. The author, Paul Rosenburg, takes data from Moody’s economy.com and combines it with research from the Center for Economic Policy and Research to create the following chart: It lends credence to Treasury’s call for tax cut’s to be delayed or reduced if [...] read more
  February 9, 2009 1:59 pm - 10 Comments
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  Nats tax bill costs the low paid - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Nats yesterday introduced their tax bill. They dropped the bill on parliament without giving anyone a chance to read it before it hit the house and are pushing it through under urgency without giving a select committee or anyone else a chance to examine it properly. Even the Regulatory Impact Assessment stated that they hadn’t [...] read more
  December 10, 2008 9:14 pm - 34 Comments
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  NZ red-faced over climate change - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Why would someone who believes climate change is a hoax and human activity is not contributing to climate change, want a carbon tax? Why would you tax fossil fuels if you don’t believe they are doing any harm? Why would a party that has campaigned on a carbon tax since 1993 and accepted the ETS [...] read more
  November 30, 2008 4:31 pm - 89 Comments
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  National plans to privatise Kiwibank - by frog

  
  
  
  In an exclusive scoop just televised on TV3 News, a recording of Bill English from today’s conference revealed that Kiwibank is definitely one SOE heading for the chop. Possibly paraphrased: Anonymous: Will you get rid of Kiwibank? Bill English:   We will eventually, but not yet. This is consistent with the Nat’s policy of not [...] read more
  August 3, 2008 6:30 pm - 57 Comments
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  Tax cuts for leaving us - by frog

  
  
  
  Last night the Taxation International Taxation, Life Insurance and Remedial Matters Bill came before the house for its first reading. This is a 445 page tome of mind numbing discussion about various matters tax related including rights of non disclosure, joint ventures, and portfolio investment entity rules. But, what it also contains is an exemption [...] read more
  July 24, 2008 9:26 am - 7 Comments
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  Goodbye Charlie Pedersen - by frog

  
  
  
  The Wellington ‘beltway’ will be a quieter place without Charlie Pedersen who leaves Federated Farmers presidency to be replaced by Southland sheep and beef farmer, Don Nicolson. In his parting shot yesterday Charlie gave a rambunctious speech, mostly focused on attacking the Resource Management Act. But some of what he says is right there on [...] read more
  June 26, 2008 11:20 am - 18 Comments
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  A water resource levy - by frog

  
  
  
  Another quote from thre Green’s Annual Meeting happening this weekend.  This time from Russel: And we need to future-proof our economy by getting the right price signals in place so that our economy becomes more efficient at using finite resources. The weird thing is that for all their new right rhetoric about incentives for beneficiaries, [...] read more
  June 2, 2008 7:24 am - 28 Comments
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  Winston turns Green - by frog

  
  
  
  Nice work by Winston adopting this longstanding Green policy from 2002 to remove all income tax on the first $5000 of income, for everyone: Mr Peters said the party also wanted the first $5200 of income tax-free. That would help the low paid and part-time workers, but also pensioners, who pay tax on their superannuation. [...] read more
  May 21, 2008 2:23 pm - 10 Comments
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  Labour’s fairfax rout - by frog

  
  
  
  Today’s Fairfax Media poll brings the theory that Labour was turning its fortunes around into serious question. I enjoyed this quote from the Dominion Post: Prime Minister Helen Clark, who is in South Korea, could not be contacted for comment. I guess she hasn’t given it much thought , eh? The Greens are continuing along [...] read more
  May 17, 2008 7:31 am - 37 Comments
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  Too many reports, not enough action on the ETS - by frog

  
  
  
  While the select committee struggles through the deluge of submissions on the ETS, the rest of us who are interested are forced to wade through the plethora of reports released this week in honour of our first serious attempt to tackle CO2 emissions. The report card? Not so good. The one thing that all the [...] read more
  May 2, 2008 2:39 pm - 5 Comments
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  Key puts another coin in the fuse box - by frog

  
  
  
  National Party leader John Key called yesterday for the scrapping or the delay of all the climate related fuel taxes on the agenda for the next year, citing rising fuel costs as the reason. At first glance there appears to be some logic in his argument, until you look at it fully. What he is [...] read more
  April 30, 2008 11:24 am - 48 Comments