Chloe Swarbrick smashes David Seymour in Parliament 

Chloe Swarbrick beat the living bejesus out of David Seymour in Parliament today in a savage smack down so epic that at one stage I felt like I needed to call the police to intervene.

David was doing his usual ‘the rich are the real victims here’ bullshit…

As MPs debated the annual rates of income tax on Tuesday night, Seymour took the time to highlight his opposition to the current tax system, because only a small chunk of Kiwis pay almost a quarter of income tax. 

“People who earn $150,000-plus – that is 3 percent of New Zealanders – pay 24 percent of all of the income tax in this country,” Seymour said, citing Inland Revenue. 

Swarbrick could be heard describing it as “progressive” – and Seymour agreed, but perhaps not in the same way, sparking a clash of fundamental political beliefs. 

“Well, Chlöe Swarbrick, not much gets past you,” he said. “Actually, of course it’s progressive, but the point of the story is I don’t think most people realise quite how progressive our current tax rates are, that 3 percent of New Zealanders end up paying 24 percent of all income tax.”

Swarbrick asked how it compares internationally. 

“Oh, Chlöe Swarbrick, she’s saying, ‘What about internationally?’ And that’s the thing that the left love to do, when things aren’t going their way they say, ‘Oh, there’s 200 countries in the world, I think I can think of one where things are worse’,” Seymour said. 

“That’s not the kind of aspirational culture I think New Zealand should have.”

A 2017 report by Inland Revenue comparing New Zealand’s tax system internationally showed we have a “relatively low top personal tax rate” but collect the “fifth-highest amount of personal income tax as a percentage of GDP” among OECD countries.  

Swarbrick pointed out that New Zealand was mentioned as a tax haven in the Panama Papers in 2016. The revelations showed foreigners used New Zealand to hide their wealth, which led to stronger rules around foreign trusts. 

…here’s where it gets real good…

Swarbrick told Newshub Seymour’s point “proves the opposite” of what he wants it to. 

“It shows we have a deeply unequal society where a tiny proportion are paid that much more than the other 97 percent,” she said. “As for all the narratives out there, I dare any politician to try and tell me that cleaners, teachers, nurses and our emergency workforce are not hard-working.”

She highlighted Treasury data showing 42 percent of the wealthiest New Zealanders are paying a smaller effective tax rate than lowest-income New Zealanders.

“The wealthiest 10 percent of New Zealanders own nearly 70 percent of all the wealth – which is mostly in multiple properties. The bottom 50 percent of all of us own just 2 percent. That wealth inequality compounds. Poverty is expensive. Wealth pay dividends.”

ACTs sudden rise because of National’s implosion means much of their crazy far undergrad right wing policy is not being examined at all…

• Cut and freeze the Minimum wage
• Interest back on all student loans
• No Kiwsaver subsidy
• Cancel winter energy payment
• Dump all climate crisis legislation
• no more best start payments for families with new borns
• cut welfare payments
• no tax credits for research and development
• cuts to working for families
• $7b a year cut in public services
• Abolish Maori seats
• Abolish Human Rights Commission

The problem is ACT are so fucking right wing that the idea of them + National being the answer to 2023’s issues could only be true if we have been invaded by UFOs and they are demanding all members of the Government must be immediately handed over as human sacrifices to our new Alien overlords.

In that scenario, voting ACT + National in makes sense.

Outside that scenario, no.

Once left wing and centrist voters realise just how far right ACT really are, the fear of keeping them from Government will outweigh whatever sin Jacinda has committed.

ACT’s sudden and uncritical rise will hurt National and win Labour the 2023 election.

It’s easy to cry wolf when the wolf is a brain hungry zombie dog hunting for human flesh in a premature infants ward.

David should think twice before fighting with Chloe, she will bury him.

 

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