tax

Now we know why Helen Clark wanted to quit New Zealand and rushed off to the UNDP. She had run out of Kiwi pockets to pick and could see huge potential for picking the world’s pockets. Such is her rapacious need to tax people she has now come up with a Global Tax to rule us all:

The report recommends consideration of an international currency trading tax or even broader financial transaction levies “to fund the fight against climate change and extreme poverty.” The report estimates that an international currency tax alone could raise at least $40 billion a year, while a broader tax on all financial transactions could raise a whopping $650 billion a year globally. This grand wealth redistribution scheme “would allow those who benefit most from globalization to help those who benefit least,” the report argues – a variation of Karl Marx’s anthem “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.”

…Not surprisingly, the United Nations Development Programme agency boss, Helen Clark, is fully on board with instituting a global tax on financial transactions. “A Financial Transaction Tax, for example, now supported in principle by several G20 members, has the potential to raise considerable revenue,” she told a sympathetic audience at the Second World Congress of the International Trade Union Confederation.

“A currency transaction tax has been identified as the most viable of all the sources of innovative financing,” Clark said as she presented the 2011 Human Development Report in Copenhagen.

Isn’t it funny how Clark is supporting a tax on the world that Mana party is pushing hard.

How the hell can Labour say that Capital Gains Tax will start contributing $500 million by 2015 when they haven’t even designed the tax yet and the “Expert Panel” hasn’t even been appointed?

This is just fanciful. David Cunliffe said the numbers were bullet-proof but I just put a hole in them right there.

Looks like they bought a bulk order of Wrongulators.

Not content with whacking people with a capital gains tax, Labour has now released their EQC policy.

However it contains a a major blunder. It is hugely unfair to make people pay their EQC levies based on the rateable value of their properties, but to provide the same level of cover.

I know they hate the rich, but that’s crazy even for them. labour is jacking up taxes yet again.

It certainly won’t be helping David Parker’s party vote campaign in Epsom.

I leaked Labour’s ICT policy and David Farrar reviewed it.

The key point of the policy is Labour’s plan to tax the internet and then control it. Basically their plan for New Zealand is to find a way to measure everything and then tax it.

Labour is proposing to levy a special Internet tax on Internet users to fund copyright holders, plus it is effectively proposing that the Government gain the power to regulate the non-broadcast media, allowing it to fine and censor newspapers and maybe even bloggers.

Let’s start with the Internet users tax.

Labour will also investigate the viability of a small copyright levy on Internet access, which would develop the digital platform for accessing Kiwi content mentioned above. Funds raised could go to content creators through an arms length collecting and distribution arrangement.

So vote Labour if you want a tax on Internet users. And like many taxes it might start small but over time it would grow. At first it might fund a content distribution system. Then it might fund projects which close the digital divide. And then it might fund Government websites (as they are done for the benefit of users not Government).

Just as I am against the Government’s DIA filter, because one day it might expand to be a filter against other content, likewise I am against any Internet tax on users.

That is Labour’s big idea for the internet, seriously…an Internet Tax.

from The Telegraph

If the Government is serious about economic growth it is going to have to reverse policies that add to the cost of production and put our industries at a competitive disadvantage. Above all it means that climate change policies should be suspended if they make our industries uncompetitive, personal taxation should be reduced to allow new businesses to be founded, and regulations that waste time to no effect should be abandoned.

As valid for this country as for the UK.

As Cactus Kate has pointed out repeatedly Farmers paying no tax. Obviously Stuart Nash has been reading up on this and decided to go after the real bludging classes of New Zealand.

The average dairy farmer is paying less tax than a couple on the pension – raising questions about whether the sector touted as the backbone of the economy is paying its fair share.

As the Government prepares one of the tightest Budgets in recent years, cutting into middle-class family benefits and KiwiSaver subsidies, new figures suggest those cuts will hit people who are also shouldering the greatest tax burden – wage and salary earners.

Inland Revenue Department figures provided to Labour revenue spokesman Stuart Nash show that, in the latest full year for which figures were available, the average tax paid by dairy farms was $1506 a year. The 17,244 registered as being in the dairy sector, including companies, trusts and individuals, paid only $26m in tax.

The figures also show that more than half – 9014 – reported a loss for the 2009 year and another 2635 reported trading income of between $1 and $20,000.

This is a major hit for an up and coming Labour MP. An issue that matters, and for follows of global politics a straight copy of the Uk Uncut protests that are railing against corporates dodging tax while the state sector is being cut. The Farming sector are really corporate bludgers. If it rains they want hand outs, if it snows the hands come out, when prices are low they cry poor and when prices are at a record high they structure their affairs to appear to be paupers. Meanwhile they fill our rivers with cowshit and expect to get water for free. These things matter and still Labour pursues helicopter trips and painting of historic buildings as their important issues. It is refreshing that Stuart Nash has stayed about the gutter and done something useful for a List MP.

This highlights one of the major problems for Labour. They have old battle scarred once were warriors like Mallard and Hodgson who are so far past their used by date they have been practically eaten away by maggots. Yet they are setting the strategy, talking about really dumb stuff like BMWs, painting and other irrelevant things. They have yet to get a hit on National on anything that really matters.

This must be intensely frustrating for the very competent up and comers like Nash, Roberston, Adern, Chauvel and Curran. Old timers associated with the failed policies of the Helen Clark regime are still around, and the stench of death pervades Goff, King, Mallard, Hodgson, Dalziel and Street.

Labour’s fortunes won’t improve until they clean out the front bench and put some competent new people in to replace the irrelevant old timers.

As everyone in politics is aware no one knows what Labour stand for, and they need simple messages that appeal to the average New Zealand voter. In the interests of helping further democracy I am prepared to help Labour, especially with some policy ideas to fill the current void.

Labour should be running aggressively with the line “Are you better off now than you were under Labour?”. The answer to this is almost certainly no, though this has little to do with National being in power and a lot to do with the world financial crisis. The rationale doesn’t matter much, just that people don’t feel as well off as they did previously.

This is the mood of the country and mood plays a massive part in campaigns. To win over voters Labour needs to capture the mood with some simple messages that appeal to the people. Chris Trotter called this person “Waitakere man“.

First and foremost in the mind of most New Zealanders is will they have a job? The uncertain economic times means people fear losing their livelihood, so jobs becomes the main focus of the campaign.

“Let’s get New Zealand Working”

This message is one that will appeal to this sense of unease about not having jobs.  It should be then backed up with simple, clear messages that are statements of intent.

“More Jobs, Better Education, Fairer Taxes”

Three simple messages that are all about growing the economy and ensuring jobs are being created. More jobs could easily come from sensible government spending, especially if Labour are willing to look at the really high salaries of too many senior public servants, reduce them, and divert this money into areas that create jobs like infrastructure and front line services. Front line services are lower paid than Wellington bureaucrat jobs, so Labour could move many people into permanent employment by reducing spending on high paid bureaucrats.

Better Education links nicely to more jobs. Our system is underfunded, and often targeted in the wrong areas. Labour should talk about funding students in courses that New Zealand needs like trades, teaching, nursing and practical, useful courses rather than dumb stuff like graphic design, arts, or low level business courses from second rate tertiary institutes.

They could also talk about taking money from the ministry of education to put into schools and preschools. “Free education” should not be a myth in the modern New Zealand. Schools should not have to fundraise incessantly, and parents should not have to pay a ‘voluntary levy’. This would clearly appeal to parents who are struggling to make ends meet and are being taxed by their schools to maintain basic standards that the government should fund.

Fairer Taxes is a simple message around everyone paying their fair share, and taxes being used as a tool to grow the economy. Labour can make a good case for a more progressive tax system that means medium income people have more money to spend, which will grow the economy, which will increase the tax take.

The problem as I see it is that I don’t think Goff will get it. He has had no traction because he is all over the place on irrelevant, long-winded and complicated policies. It’s almost like he is trying to out policy-wonk Helen Clark, which we all know can’t be done.

He doesn’t understand the fear New Zealanders feel about their economic future. If he has an eureka moment and discovers that politics is simple, not complex and messages should be tight and to the point he could change the election.

Can he do it? I’m not so sure he can.

Stuart Nash is going to oppose tax cuts tooth and nail.

Has The Mangrove forgotten that Phil Goff has promised to give tax cuts to all by making the first $5000 tax free or that Labour’s policy on GST is to remove tax on fresh fruit and vegetables? It seems that Stuart Nash is going to oppose his own leader.

Len Brown has compiled his list of 100 things he did in 100 days. He isn’t releasing it yet, its a secret. They aren’t big things, they aren’t even projects most of them and quite a few are just slogans.

If he beleived in himself and his ideas he would promote the really big ideas, especially to get things done like his Rail Loop.

So in the spiriti of good governance Iw ill help him out. Just like i have done with the Labour party in gifting them a slogan, and like Cactus Kate gifting them a tax policy. I gift Len Brown idea number 54.

A Congestion Tax – with all proceeds going to fund his rail loop.

The image says it all. Labours no intention of reversing any increase in GST and Mangrove has signaled increases in Income tax as well. They need to come clean.

Labour's real Policy: Max the Tax