LIKE THE EXCLUSIVE BRETHREN in 2005, the Taxpayers’ Union is poised to launch a well-funded, last-minute attack on the Greens. According to Richard Harman’s Politik website, the right-wing, anti-tax, lobby group is about to send a personalised letter to every homeowner whose property is valued at more than a million dollars. The letter “explains” how the Green’s proposed 1 percent Wealth Tax on property valued at more than one million dollars will apply to them.
As Harmon makes clear in his post, the cost of sending a direct mail shot as big as this is, almost certainly, beyond the means of the Taxpayers’ Union. When questioned by the veteran broadcaster and journalist about the source of the sizeable funds required, the Union would say only that the money had been raised in response to a special appeal for financial support.
Harmon also makes clear that the Taxpayers’ Union has registered itself with, and obtained all the required approvals from, the Electoral Commission. The latter has duly authorised the Union to spend up to $338,000 on its “political campaign” against the Greens’ tax policy.
Naturally, any campaign directed primarily at the Greens will likely be of considerable benefit to National and Act. But, since the letter makes no direct appeal for its recipients to support either of those parties, the cost of critiquing the Greens’ Wealth Tax cannot be deducted from the spending caps of the campaign’s principal beneficiaries. Like the Exclusive Brethren before them, the Taxpayers’ Union is taking full advantage of the fact that there is nothing in the Electoral Act which prevents individuals and groups from attacking the enemies of their friends.
Viewed from the perspective of the 2020 General Election as a whole, the intervention of the Taxpayers’ Union confirms the Right’s growing sense of desperation that the campaign is slipping away from them. With hundreds of thousands of voters having already cast their ballots in favour of the Labour Party, the opportunity to turn around all those former National voters who have shifted their allegiance to the Labour leader, Jacinda Ardern, grows smaller by the day.
Throw into the mix the internecine squabbling that has re-emerged within National’s ranks, and the widely shared opinion that Judith Collins has become her own (less than brilliant) campaign manager, and the readiness of outsiders to do something – anything – to stop the rot is easily understood.
For most strategic thinkers on the right, the only viable path to victory for National is over the dead body of the Green Party. If the Greens can be driven below the 5 percent MMP threshold, and the so-called “Trash Vote” pumped up to something approaching 10 percent, then a combined tally of National and Act votes of around 45 percent should be enough to reclaim the Treasury Benches. Assuming Act stands firm on 8 percent, National need only lift its Party Vote to around 37 percent for it to be “Game On!”. So, the 84,000 vote question is: “What will it take to shift that many voters from Labour’s column to National’s before 17 October?”
The Taxpayers’ Union (and whoever is bankrolling its direct mail shot) is betting that the prospect of having to pay a Wealth Tax of $10,000 (on a $2 million property) will be enough. They are confident that people with that sort of asset base are smart enough to know that while a Labour Party able to govern alone might be trusted to keep its promise not to introduce a Wealth Tax, a Labour-Green government could not. The Taxpayers’ Union is confident that, in the cold light of day, those asset-rich/cash poor voters will come (albeit reluctantly) to the conclusion that the only safe vote is a vote for National or Act. The bet is also that, as anxiety about the Wealth Tax percolates through the wider electorate it will shave just enough off the Greens Party Vote to send them below the threshold.
How sweet a victory that would be! Labour would find itself in exactly the same position as National in 2017: holding a clear plurality of the Party Votes cast, but, stripped of its Green ally, commanding insufficient seats in the House of Representatives to form a government. Presumably, all those who denounced this outcome as unfair – unconstitutional even – just three years ago, would bite their tongues in 2020.
There are, however, two important factors working against the Taxpayers’ Union and its Sugar-Daddies winning their wager.
The first is that the National Party’s “bucket”, in which it is hoping to collect the voters bailing out of Labour, may have a hole in it. As fast as all those asset rich/cash poor liberals dribble back to National, an equal number of disillusioned social conservatives and angry evangelicals may be dribbling out a hole in the base of National’s big bucket and into the little pails of the New Conservative Party and Advance NZ positioned directly underneath. Judith Collins can kneel and pray until Doomsday, but it won’t erase her name from the list of those who voted in favour of liberalising New Zealand’s abortion laws.
The second factor is driven by left-wing solidarity – something which, to be fair, the leading lights of the Taxpayers’ Union cannot be expected to know a great deal. If, over the next few days, Labour’s pollsters discover that the Right’s desperate strategy is working, then Labour has only to let the information percolate through the Left and wait for its more radical adherents to draw the obvious conclusion. That the best way to help Jacinda and Labour to retain power is to cast a Party Vote for the Greens. What’s more, if the situation were to become really and truly hairy, then all Jacinda needs to do is let it be known that if Labour’s supporters in Auckland Central have a strong desire to poke the Taxpayers’ Union and their secret backers in the eye, then they should think seriously about giving Chloe Swarbrick their Electorate Vote.
Every New Zealander who wants progressivism to be given three more years and a fighting chance, owes Richard Harman a hearty vote of thanks. Forewarned is forearmed. The Taxpayers’ Union and its backers (whose identity is legally required to be revealed after the election) may be desperate, and even though there is a better-than-even chance that their “Hail Mary!” attempt to fly under the radar will end up harming, not helping, the National Party and Act, we would be most unwise to dismiss their strategy as hopeless. As the Right repeatedly fails to grasp the power of solidarity; we on the Left are far too prone to underestimate the terrible power of selfishness.
If the Right’s plan looks like it’s working, every Baby Boomer who has ever voted for Values, NewLabour and/or the Alliance knows exactly what they have to do. Because, if the Greens go down, so, too, does the Left.
How do you know hundreds of thousands of voters have already cast their ballots in favour of the Labour Party?
Rosielee
Given that there were nearly half a million votes already cast by yesterday (600k at 2pm today?), Trotter’s estimate is not unreasonable:
https://elections.nz/stats-and-research/2020-general-election-advance-voting-statistics/
GP vote might be closer to 30k at the moment, but that is assuming that those early voting early (I was certainly giving it a miss last week) are representative of the larger population. And that polls are at all accurate (even given the 6%+ confidence interval – though less for smaller parties).
Do the math, Rosie-Lee. If nearly half the electorate is signaling support for Labour, and half-a-million people have already voted, then logic suggests that around 250,000 people have voted Labour.
Rocket Science it ain’t.
Any government, if it wished, could have a wholesale tax rate (which is a percentage on the value of commodities) averaged at the 30%, the 20% and the 10% rate but the 20% rate covers the great bulk of commodities.
So what the stable geniuses over at The TaxPayers Unions are advocating is that (presumably) rents go from the 10% rate to the 20% rate and then all the goods and services below that The Taxpayers Unions paymasters don’t want that. We’ve also got literature that isn’t taxed and other stuff such as alcohol and tobacco that is taxed which is a contorted tail of logic that leaves housing and speculation untaxed.
Again I make the point that commodities taxes have been in the system in all the 40 years of Neoliberalism and if rightwing politicking didn’t like then they should have got rid of it. The reason why it’s like this is because no one can get a dogs fart past.
Now Judith Collins might not jump up and down for this but if she does then we will know 100% that this is another rent a crown moment because it would have come across her desk. So as I was saying does the leader of the opposition want to hold the bottom tax rate at 10% or whatever it or does she want to raise GST?
So does the right want to increase GST and if they don’t then they’d better put their dicks away
So the last-ditch effort from the wing politicking is to worsen the housing crises. That’s consistent with any Leader of the opposition who starts her leadership advocating new tax bases in the tax system. Now I know they’re tax cut happy but basically, the only job left to do is increase the top top consumption tax rates.
Fact is there are differential tax rates
Party Vote Green-yes. It has been obvious for some time this would be the nail in the coffin for National/Act.
Labour may get their majority but it’s a bit iffy. They should play safe and get behind the Greens through Chloe. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Greens get up to 10% as their policies will appeal to the huge underclass in Aotearoa. National are toast, which is great news. Hosking and Richardson can go suck a kumera.
Excellent article.
The Taxpayers Union,… that unholy cover group for the far right wing unregulated free market. An odious think tank and group that concerns itself with the preservation of the wealthy elite , their self interests in maintaining both political and economic power bloc’s and who will,- and have used,- tactics more inclined towards savage fascism than any real interest in supporting and advancing a practicing democracy. And so it is that they were involved in Dirty Politics.
Funnily enough , I watched last night a very good vid on the origins of the Irish famine . Much of it was caused by the landlord system they had , particularly the Anglo Irish landlords in control at the top. They had a tiered system, ever dividing it into smaller plots,.. which was a system prone to the domino effect. When the famine and the blight hit,… it was a system set up to fail. But at the heart of it was the British reticence to interfere with the FREE MARKET system they reaped the benefits of. The Irish were left to starve and millions died as a result.
To be fair many landlords and even the Anglo Irish did practice philanthropy, but it was nowwhere near enough. Many more were infamous as being callous in their evictions. So now thousands were dieing on the roads, in the towns… and hence the mass immigrations to America starting with the wealthy and then the poor. The ships transporting the poor were often called ‘ coffin ships ‘ because of the sheer numbers who died in transit and when they reached Canadian and American shores.
Well, this amateur sociologist takes in interest in such things,… especially the unregulated free market, its advocates and its murderous sacrificial tendencies…the cold callous complicity of the ‘well heeled ‘ and their amazing capacity to deny their knowledge of the social effects of their policy’s. One must be a cold hearted liar to act in such a way.
Now not much has changed for the third world, and for those in the west it would not do to be seen as responsible for such depredations. And so it is under modern neo liberal, – aka unregulated free market driven policy’s, – that the working poor are given those scant crumbs that keep them needing to desperately find work , -any low paid work, – to merely survive. Not to live a quality of life, but merely to survive.
Globalism , the destruction of unions, legislation to place workers on contracts , to have them compete among themselves for the crumbs and pit worker against worker on employer based value of one worker over another without any collective protections, the FIRE economy, … and its social effects,…speak of a more sophisticated form of false ‘morality’ of the engineers of these sly deviants of the unregulated free market.
Well , for those interested in seeing the parallels, spend an hour , watch the video,.. and see if you cant se the visible and invisible hands that control our lives even as we speak. Then ask yourselves, … has anything really changed ?
The Great Irish Famine – documentary (1996)
https://youtu.be/0DK-GoVkRjw?t=3
ONLY THE POOR BEAR THE BRUNT
ONLY THE POOR BEAR THE BRUNT
ONLY THE POOR BEAR THE BRUNT
ONLY THE POOR BEAR THE BRUNT
ONLY THE POOR BEAR THE BRUNT
And in finishing, … as always a song. And in this case, this beautiful song by The Pogues. It is a beautiful song in cadence , in lyrics , in imagery , and in truth and protest of the Irish poor. But is it not the song of all those who bore the brunt of the arrogant rich and power brokers?
It is a sheer and absolute favorite of mine.
The Pogues – Thousands Are Sailing
https://youtu.be/O-OnS3LPt0w?t=3
I think The coffin ships were insurance jobs.
D J S
Oh, and by the way….
Dlúthpháirtíocht !!!
Solidarity !!!
I’d rather they came to my door, I’m voting Green because of their wealth tax and am part of the 6%. They need to understudy they do not speak for everyone they think they do.
Party vote Green it is !
Yes Chris, a cunning plan indeed. I have previously seen on TDB there are three categories in AO/NZ: the haves; the have nots; and the have yachts (perhaps we can add: the have trusts). Either way, probably more of a continuum or a Venn-type relationship than distinct categories, but an interesting way to look at the distribution of wealth. Preaching to the converted won’t shift anything but ‘the haves’ are a diverse bunch: some indeed have a lot and would perhaps fit well the description of selfishness you allude to; others who ‘have’ are far more modest in their possessions and outlook and perhaps don’t mind (too much) that 1% is deducted as capital gains. Am I too optimistic? Deluded perhaps. After all, you do say that we on the Left are far too prone to underestimate the terrible power of selfishness. With the Green policy I presume the family home will be exempt. One would hope so.
With the Green policy I presume the family home will be exempt.
If anyone can find where they have specified that, or even suggested it, then I’d be interested to see it. So far, not even a glimmer in that direction.
The family home is sacrosanct.
How could the Greens have made such a stupid mistake, as to not ensure HOMES were protected! The reality is that there are many people out there who own a worn out, rundown but much loved home, the place that is their own, who would be forced out if they had to find that extra tax. And where do they go?
I have repeatedly supported the Greens Poverty Action Plan, but I have qualified that by noting that it needs improvement, which it most certainly does. I still see their overall plan as a good starting point for essential change. However their carelessness, such as their failure to ring-fence the family home as always being exempt from any such changes, is now bouncing back to bite them.
Yes
Yes.
Remember the wealth tax is individualised so the home would have to be worth in excess of 2 million before tax applied to a family home. As with Council rates the tax can be held off until the house is sold if needs be.
Thanks for explaining that Geoff, but you know what my gut reaction is?
I’m thinking of getting a gun licence and starting to practice. (And that’s from a mainly vegetarian pacifist.) And, it’s other people’s homes I’d be defending. No one! No one has the right to start gnawing away at someone’s home.
I can go a long time without food, I have found. Even up to 10 days if necessary. As long as I have a home.
That legislation as it now stands would, I believe, cause a new wave of homelessness. And this time it would include even more vulnerable people than before.
How bloody stupid are they??????????
Whoa there Kheala! I don’t have much problem with you thread-jacking this discussion into your pet peeve (though; 94% of the population don’t have million dollar castles to pull the draw-bridge up at, so any concern they might have is purely aspirational). But you are getting really close to advocating gun-violence on an online political forum here.
Which is stupid; if you are serious, as the last thing you should be doing as an aspiring terrorist is to flag your identity for the panopticon. On the other hand; if you aren’t serious, then you have squandered any persuasion you might have already achieved, by apparently promoting gun-violence.
Human lives are more important than one human’s property.
94% of the population don’t have million dollar castles to pull the draw-bridge up at
The AVERAGE asking price of a home in Auckland:
Auckland average Over 1 Million
K
If the median Auckland house value actually sold was $1M, rather than that being the reduced sample-range mean aspirational price, then you might have a point. The mode would be an interesting average too.
As it is, I am not convinced that houses of many people are in danger. And care little for those who would rather have empty rooms to hoard their toys in, during the midst of a housing crisis when the poor are living in cars (if they are lucky).
“Average asking price is not a valuation. It is an indication of current market sentiment… As it looks at different data, average asking prices may differ from recorded sales data released at the same time.”
“Truncated mean is the method realestate.co.nz uses to provide statistically relevant asking prices. The top and bottom 10% of listings in each area are removed before the average is calculated, to prevent exceptional listings from providing false impressions.”
https://www.realestate.co.nz/blog/news/new-zealand-property-report-march-2017
(most recent update; 30/9/20, at top of page)
I am not convinced that houses of many people are in danger.
From a voter’s perspective, it is not a question of ‘many’, it’s a question of ANY. Either they clearly exempt the family home, or they do not. And, it seems they do not.
Human lives are more important than one human’s property.
Being in your own home, especially for the sick and vulnerable, is close to essential to staying alive.
advocating gun-violence on an online political forum here.
Nope. Just saying the effect on me, saying what my personal gut-reaction is at the thought of someone risking the home of someone like, eg, my mother.
You’d prefer “nicely nicely”, “Sweetie sweetie” smart talk? Or do you want to know the truth?
Kheala – yes, this is the point I can’t get my head around.
Other than Gareth Morgan last election, who was honest enough to say that no one should own a home, everyone should rent from the state – all parties are still advocating that if you want to buy a home, you should be allowed to, and preferably at an affordable price. After all, the cornerstone policy of Labour at the last election, Kiwibuild, was ostensibly spruiked at low income families.
A CGT on homes had a starting date – any gains after 1 April 2020 for example would be subject to tax (family home exempted). As unpalatable as it might have been to some, especially as it wasn’t going to be inflation indexed, at least you knew about it in advance.
A wealth tax is retroactive. Where is the fairness in that (regardless of whether or not the family home is exempted or not)? There is no income being generated whilst you live as a pensioner in your own home (or a bach if you have two properties). Money in the bank in an interest bearing account – that is taxed. Morgan, again, was at least honest enough to say you would be paying tax on the “rental income potential” of your home.
Is there a balance that can be struck?
I don’t know about a balance, but I do know that my base line is that the family home is always, repeat, always entirely exempt.
Ah, new Reds Under our Beds!
Most people aren’t even going to look under there and it’s too bloody late anyway. The most ardent National supporters certainly won’t be looking. They know the seepage for their bed deposits would have been seeping through. They’ve been crapping and wetting themselves for months and as The Day nears there has been a torrent.
Actually this could bring about a resurgence of NZ First. Winston was always the single strongest defender of the family home. People remember that.
You’re brilliant, ruth ruthless Richardson aka a displaced evil mouse in a frock (LMFAO), helen testosterone-gone-wrong clark (yup on so many levels), mp ruth vacuuming-your-money-up dyson(bahahahah)… the whole post is one fucking laugh after the next until the end where you realize we are fucked and are already ghosts.
are already ghosts.
According to Paddy Gower that’s exactly what we must be now, as he is saying on tv that we are going to hear from “Both Sides”!! of the euthanasia debate.
He has developed some sort of psychic/ mediumship skills then?
Seeing certain pollies are going full frontal religion now, a paddy should be able to rustle up the Holy Ghost. That’ll learn them.
Thanks Chris … for telling us what The Taxpayer Union (and donors) are up to and thanks for your wisdom. Please send it on to Helen White.
And… I am another person who will be hit with the Green’s $2m tax and I have already voted Party Vote Green.
IF the Greens want to turn this around, all they have to do is get up there, in public, on TV, and TELL US!!!
James and Marama, TELL US!!!
ARE you going to take our HOMES???
IS that what is in your “Plan”??
What guarantee do we have that this would not happen under your coalition/ govt?
(I am holding my party vote for a couple more days, to see if there is any reply. If not, then it’s 2 ticks Labour.)
Go to the Greens website and watch the wealth tax video it is all explained there.
Yes the Family home will be included but the family home would have to be worth over $2 million for a couple having to pay tax. If tax is due and you are cashb poor the tax can be held over until the house is sold. You only pay tax on the value of the home over $1 million if an individual or $2 million if a couple.
You do know that that is the AVERAGE asking price of a home in Auckland now?
Auckland average Over 1 Million
Sorry, but how dare they start rat-gnawing at the family home.
Kheala – With you 100% on this.
Yet again today, another email from the Greens asking for money. I have previously contributed to them 2x, but never again.
I have previously told them why I now find them unacceptable, but they do not listen – except perhaps, to each other.
I removed myself from one Green mailing list, and still the emails come, with different names each time.
Somehow the narrative now seems to be that the family home, is some sort of idyllic Walton’s-type homestead owned by a mean old person/persons, with empty rooms which could or should be housing the homeless. Crap.
It may be quite a humble abode, lacking repairs and routine maintenance, because the dosh simply isn’t there; cold, because warmth exists in times past before electricity was privatised, where mowing the lawns and changing a lightbulb, or taking rubbish to the kerb or the tip, is a challenge for those without 6 kids, or even 1 or 2,kids to help them. Where weeding the vege plot can leaves hands clawed in pain, but it is home.
Expecting elderly folk to be uprooted, or cope with the paper work of reverse mortgages etc is heartless mindless bullying more akin to Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution, than a party claiming to have a social conscience, but once again, setting people against each other in their now usual modus operandi.
Stuff them.
Thank you for the update.
It’s confirmed my worst fears.
I am such a slow learner!
I already spent one weekend with them at/ around my house, shooting up at wildlife that I loved, that I had considered my family. And the threatening, bullying way it was carried out, with high powered rifles, right next to my home, for HOURS!
And when I rang them (friends too) about it, they just said, “But we’re ALLOWED to!” And they send the tab to the govt, – which we pay for. And my friends (in the bird and animal kingdom) – their bodies were left to rot.
I feel sick.
I had put that behind me, telling myself it was an aberration, just some local/ feral Greens.
But now with this home tax, ready to force vulnerable Kiwis out of their homes, … This is that same nightmare of stupidity and cruelty, all over again.
Kheala. “I am such a slow learner.” # We too.
I am flummoxed that Chloe is considered professional politician material because she is articulate, and argues coherently in favour of legalising cannabis. So do a lot of working doctors and cops, and being a smooth talker has always been the hallmark of successful con artists. Hitler was a brilliant orator, and thus obliterated lives and families.
There is a grotesque obscenity in proposing that people living out their end times in their own homes, cash-strapped, often unable to afford fairly basic sort of needs, should do so knowing that it is being snatched away from them, bit by it, and their peace of mind shattered by government policy.
I don’t care if the Greens are communists, but they should be upfront about who or what they are. They have channeled my thoughts into wondering how many mental health problems are a direct result of sociopathic government policies implemented by all major parties over the last twenty-six years, voted into power by the gullible who do all the hard grift for the benefit of a very small number of recipients of our hard-earned largesse. Small wonder they reward our stupidity with contempt.
akin to Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution
I was thinking that too. There were bands of younger soldiers going around smashing up national treasures. All in the name of “out with the old”, and “bring in the new”, ..regardless of the needless harm and destruction they caused.
It is possible to have a much kinder and more civil revolution, to bring in the changes, but to consider first, the consequences of every action taken. This present bunch of Greens think very little of consequences, of feet-on-the-ground, real world effects. And/ or they don’t care.
Kheala I forget a lot (!) but read a lot, and the property owners, and landlords, were perceived as class enemies in Mao’s China, as was anything symbolic of them, such as the style of clothing, beautiful possessions, books – often irrespective of their content.
I was Green before most or all the Green MP’s, before some of them were even born, and the night of the Auckland Muslim vigil, shocked me right out their orbit. I have had a gutsful of being shocked by politicians, but it’s worse with the Greens, because of their assumed moral superiority through being on the right side of planet earth and of it’s people. So I thought.
Hard to say what the agendas of the divas are now, or what shared values we have. Davidson’s pathetic homily reclaiming the cunt, and in front of children, was a fairly self-absorbed
exercise, and none of them are in Parliament – in theory – to look after themselves. Currently I see only Maori as the only viable alternative as custodians and guardians of the land.
The Greens wallowed in identity politics, so I might too.
Your comment about consequences is spot on, and it typifies adolescent behaviour, more than that of grown-ups. Like you, I thought of my mother with their surreal millionaire branding, having already been relieved that the old duck died before the corona virus struck, because she could not have coped with that either.
Being single, older, white, and heterosexual, I am way out of their pet demographic anyway, but if that privileged righteous bunch are comfortable hitting on the elderly for a quick fix, they might benefit by being sent off to the countryside the way their evident hero Mao Tse-Tung dispatched persons thought in need of touching base with real work and workers.
( Wouldn’t mind knowing Freud’s take on all this either.)
I think you know what Freud would have to say.
You would grow more by examining “The Afghan Girl” for 60 seconds.
I received the letter from some this group who ask that cheques be made out to the taxpayers union’ I sent the enclosed envelope back empty which will cause them to waste time opening it and also pay the postage. Suggest you all do the same If I hadn’t already voted I would be tempted to vote Green
Well said
Got the letter yesterday, thankfully it had an email address for me to let them know I was happy to pay the extra tax and will party vote Green. Oh and aren’t you lucky we all pay tax so you could draw on the wage subsidy when you needed it.
Try again, your answer has nothing to do with imprisonment?
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