Geoff Simmons | Page 14 | The Morgan Foundation

How much tax does Gareth Morgan Pay?

Geoff SimmonsNovember 5, 2014Tax and Welfare

Since the election we have been talking a lot about tax – how we don’t tax all the income from investments equally. One of the common questions we have had is how much tax Gareth pays. While the question is … Read More

If New Zealand is really committed to marine conservation we should start in our own part of the ocean

Geoff SimmonsNovember 2, 2014Environment

This week is Conservation Week and to celebrate each day our blogs will focus on a different conservation issue. Over the weekend China, the Ukraine and Russia rejected New Zealand and the United States’ bid to create the world’s largest … Read More

Why it makes no financial sense for Treasury to invest in our kids

Geoff SimmonsOctober 28, 2014Tax and Welfare

Today UNICEF released its report on child wellbeing. They found that during the global financial crisis New Zealand’s level of child poverty didn’t budge. Child poverty rose in most countries, thanks to the financial crisis, and fell in a few. … Read More

The crime is not being rich, the crime is we don’t tax all the income that wealth can earn

Geoff SimmonsOctober 22, 2014Economics

In our last blog we looked at whether the claims of ‘rock star’ economist Thomas Piketty held any water or not. Short answer is that some did, some didn’t. In this blog we turn to what we should do about … Read More

Does Money make Money?

Geoff SimmonsOctober 21, 2014Economics

‘Rock star economist’ or ‘inequality messiah’ French economist Thomas Piketty’s book Capital in the Twenty First Century has outsold every other book on the planet this year. The book is so popular because it floats the idea that money makes … Read More

River Quality Data – Did the Ministry for the Environment mislead us?

Geoff SimmonsOctober 14, 2014Environment

Massey University scientist Mike Joy has been in the media recently claiming that the Ministry for the Environment has been misleading the public over water quality data. Is he right? We looked at this issue as part of the MyRiver … Read More

5 Reasons why 1080 is so deadly to predators yet benign to the environment (and you)

Geoff SimmonsOctober 12, 2014Environment

1080 has been in the press a lot lately – with Auckland Council voting to use it in the Hunua Ranges (a major source of water for Auckland City) and the new Minister of Conservation, Maggie Barry endorsing its use. … Read More

Bill and National going ape at councils for poverty is disgraceful

Geoff SimmonsOctober 8, 2014Tax and Welfare

Bill English has taken on local councils, blaming them for increased housing costs and its impact on the poor. As we pointed out last week, English is setting up a scapegoat; a sprawling Auckland for example is no answer to … Read More

Can the government really kickstart regional economy?

Geoff SimmonsSeptember 10, 2014Economics

Over the last few weeks a range of economic development policies have emerged from across the political spectrum. They vary from the weird to the wonderful, but all of them suffer from the same problem – the delusion that the … Read More

Can the government really create more jobs?

Geoff SimmonsSeptember 9, 2014Economics