The extraordinary decision by Chris Hipkins to rule out a wealth tax that would have seen every Kiwi gain $10000 tax free highlights just how badly Labour needs the courage of the Māori Party.
The plan that Grant Robertson had been working on quietly in the background would have seen the mega wealthy taxed a tiny amount to ensure every Kiwi’s first $10 000 was tax free, which would have seen everyone $20 better off each week.
The beauty of the plan was that it wasn’t going to target the rich or the wealthy, it was going to tax the mega wealthy. Not people who own their own home plus a batch plus the boat, but people who own 10 homes, multiple sports cars and several boats.
Chippy felt now was not the time to make the mega wealthy pay their fair share and went a step further by ruling it out forever.
The Māori Party however are very clear that the wealthy must pay their fair share and that’s why this election, the more votes the Māori Party get, the more chance they can force Chippy to accept the mega wealthy must pay their fair share.
First published on Waatea News.
Hipkins didn’t rule a wealth tax out forever, only as long as he is Labours leader.
89 days
And after 89 days the leader of the opposition Labour Party will announce that Labour do support a wealth tax. (at least until Labour are in government again at least).
Reporter: Can you rule out a wealth tax?
Answer: There are all kinds of taxes in a governments tool box some of them we use some of them stay in the box.
If the new gen voter turnout can be encouraged, the worst of the boomers are going down–even if it is by just 1–2 paraliamentary seats!
n.b. stereotyping is never great, I am a “boomer” as defined by others, and so are thousands of decent people, including those hit by elder poverty, and those that have stood up over their years for many social and class left issues.
This is the last gasp though of the old school Natzo conservatives, reactionaries and torys. The next lot of younger right wing arseholes are already supporting Act. And a stubborn percentage are going down various increasingly “whack–a–doodle” rabbit holes, and who knows where they all might pop up…
Labour have actually been dragged to support a number of good things including FPAs, 26 weeks PPL, biggest minimum wage increases ever, more on Living Wage, etc. etc. but they needed to do a hell of a lot more and if Natzos & Actoids can be kept from office on October 14 they WILL be forced to by new movements if necessary.
If they turn out? That’s a big if. There are a lot of disillusioned voters, who will they vote for? Or will they even vote? History says no.
Tax the rich!
We cannot afford to keep changing policy in the health and education, we need the two main parties to have a bipartisan approach as the constant changes are hurting us every time, we have a change of government.
If the General Election was held today:
– NZFirst would get my party vote.
– National would VERY reluctantly get my electoral vote.
A week ago my party vote would have gone to ACT. I’m definitely shopping around and ACT could end up with my party vote come October 14th.
You literally want to vote for people who will withhold payrises from lower paid workers.
To hell with every version of a wealth tax yet suggested. We should not tax wealth, which is an unrealized gain, we tax income.
Every dollar of income I earn thru my Labour is taxed and because I don’t earn much I spend every dollar and most of that is taxed again by GST.
If we are going to tax the income earned by Labour we must also tax the income earned by Capital. And not just some of it but all of it. None of this bullshit exempting the family home. I have been lucky/privileged enough to buy a house and my rough calculation is that if I sold today I would have made an average profit of $23,000 a year for the 20 odd years I’ve owned it. Anything less is not fair and a tax system should be fair
To hell with every version of a wealth tax yet suggested. We should not tax wealth, which is an unrealized gain, we tax income.
Every dollar of income I earn thru my Labour is taxed and because I don’t earn much I spend every dollar and most of that is taxed again by GST.
If we are going to tax the income earned by Labour we must also tax the income earned by Capital. And not just some of it but all of it. None of this bullshit exempting the family home. I have been lucky/privileged enough to buy a house and my rough calculation is that if I sold today I would have made an average profit of $23,000 a year for the 20 odd years I’ve owned it. Anything less is not fair and a tax system should be fair
A wealth tax is far fairer than a flatter tax on income. Should we be adding an extra tax burden on actual New Zealanders, or the likes of Peter Thiel and Larry Paige- people who are enemies of the entire world not just the New Zealand working class?
How is it fair that those who could afford to buy a house for $8,000 in the late seventies now have a property worth $700,000, those who could afford to buy two properties for $20,000 now have properties worth a total of $3,000,000, and those who could afford to buy four properties for $35,000 now own property worth $4,500,000, while those who worked but couldn’t afford to buy any property in the same era now have an annual pension of less than $30,000?
Unfortunately Labour can’t really be trusted anymore in the eyes of the voter. It’s not so much this tax …..it’s what this tax will lead to next.
Besides they have actually gathered very high revenue from tax in the last 6 years. But have not spent it that wisely.
The first 10 k should not be taxed on people earning below the average wage.
Labour’s capitulation on wealth tax highlights why they need the Māori Party.
No! It highlights why they need to be humiliated at the polls.
Inexcusable. A rare majority in the house wasted. Twice.
They have betrayed their base.
Traitors.
The difference between Labour and the minor parties on the left is that Labour may actually finish up being in government. Hopefully not, but it’s a possibility. So Hipkins doesn’t want to paint himself into a corner by giving silent consent any of the ridiculous brain farts coming out of the left wing.
He also knows that if he is to win, he needs to keep the centre left voters on-side by at least appearing moderate and sensible.
If labour were to consider a wealth tax three months out from a general election, they wouldn’t get that much support in the general election as it would signal instability. Any restructuring of the tax system is best done in a second term.
Everytime Labour were asked is a wealth tax on the cards? The answer should have been all kinds of taxes are available to a government what we are doing in a cost of living crisis is cutting tax for everyone. We are completely removing income tax on first $20,000 for every New Zealander we are a party that wants everyone to get a fair go.
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