Max Rashbrooke for the tax cut win

The danger of woke middle class identity politics replacing class left analysis is that the politics devolve into a micro aggression deplatforming campaign that alienates rather than builds solidarity against free market capitalism.

The true demarcation of power in a. democratic capitalist state is the 1% richest + their 9% enablers Vs the 90% rest of us.

Identity Politics simply cements into place a caste system of intersectionism alongside a terminal tribal affiliation to your skin colour, gender or identity.

There needs to be far more common ground and shared values.

We need to remove the yoke of taxation from the 90% and reset it to the 10% richest.

The minefield of social justice and it’s never ending pure temple deplatforming of everything that triggers it will only drive people further from the Left in an intense economic downturn because you can’t eat virtue signalling aesthetics.

Here’s how Labour could outflank Luxon on tax

Labour could take the $1.7b cost of Luxon’s threshold adjustments and – as former party staffers such as Clint Smith have suggested– redirect it towards more progressive tax cuts. For the same cost, Labour could make the first $5000 of income tax-free. This would save a minimum-wage worker 10.5% of $5000, or $525 – nearly five times Luxon’s offer. Average earners would get the same tax cut.

…When I set MANA up with Matt McCarten, Hone Harawira, John Minto, Sue Bradford and the incredible Annette Sykes, there was an understanding that at the core of Left wing politics was a need to use the State to materially better everyone.

At the centre of that philosophical core was an understanding that the very tax system itself needed to be reset by taking the burden off the working poor and placing out upon the wealthy.

MANA argued for a Financial Transaction Tax that would be a base rate on all automated bank transactions, it would raise enough tax to bring GST down to 10% while allowing the first $20 000 to be tax free. The extra revenue would allow for a mass State Housing rebuild plus free public transport plus more money for education and health.

The total tax take from workers would lower while forcing the Banks, Corporates and Speculators to finally pay for their greed.

This is why the Tax debate every fucking election is such a shallow and hollow joke. Labour says blah blah blah and National scream tax cut. They are both fighting over an ever diminishing pie!

It’s the Great NZ Tax Cut Scam that never actually fixes the problem!

We need a radical means to place the yoke of taxation onto those who are causing the most economic damage and greed – the Banks, the Corporates and Speculators!

Labour must think big on funding universal provision of services to survive the economic downturn and the new post-Covid reality in a climate warming world!

To fund these big services we need a new tax system. A Financial Transaction Tax penalises those who are the greediest while funding the services that benefit everyone.

-Free Public Transport: Rather than welfare increases that the cruel and insidious MSD clawback, put money back into the pockets of the poorest with free public transport, while reducing climate pollution AND making roads more free for those who need to use them. Free Public Transport would make voters care.

-Free Dental Services: Our lack of free Dental is a disgraceful outcome of free market neoliberalism over public health.

-Free Breakfast and lunches in all schools: Again, rather than welfare increases that the cruel and insidious MSD clawback, put money back into the pockets of the poorest with free Breakfasts and Lunches at school. With inflation and mortgage rates soaring even the children of the middle classes will benefit.

-Legalise Cannabis: FFS, it generates half a billion in revenue and justice system savings, just do it for Christ’s sakes you gutless wonders!

-30 000 State House Build: Rather than simply trying to fund flawed models of a rigged property market built for speculators, do mass State Housing builds for only State House tenants and owner occupiers with rent to own options. Build these on Golf Courses we seize back from Auckland and Wellington using the Public Works Act.

-First $20 000 Tax Free: Most people earn barely $40 000, making the first $20 000 tax free would benefit the poorest first and most.

-Vice Tax on all Gambling, Tobacco & Booze: A special super tax on top of the total tax paid for products that are a blight upon society. Why should the Gambling Booze Vape Barons peddle their harmful products with the barest of responsibility?

-Sugar Tax: The Big Sugar Drug Dealers have been allowed to sell their highly addictive drugs directly to market with no penalty for too long. Time too pay punks.

-Remove GST from fresh fruit and vegetables: Make healthier choices cheaper, works best with a sugar tax.

-30% Stake-hold in Supermarket Duopoly: The broken market is creating a million dollars additional profit each day to the Duopoly. Fuck them. A new supermarket chain will reduce cost and voters need to see that in an inflation explosion.

A Financial Transaction Tax, Sugar Tax and a taxed Cannabis Market could fund new services, old services PLUS take the tax take off the poorest and put it on the richest.

It’s time to be radical.

Why?

Because the economy is about to get hammered and the old systems won’t work any longer.

The sooner we start seeing it as the 90% vs the 10%, the sooner we can get actual change.

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