Geoff Simmons | Page 4 | The Morgan Foundation

Heads in the sand as the sea rises

Geoff SimmonsJuly 6, 2016Environment

Today the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Jan Wright, fronted up to the finance select committee to talk about the financial and economic risks of climate change, particularly sea level rise. International banks, insurers and investors have well and truly … Read More

Would it be Crazy to Reduce House Prices by 40%?

Geoff SimmonsJuly 5, 2016Economics

Economist Arthur Grimes yesterday suggested building 150,000 new homes to reduce Auckland house prices by 40%. This idea was described as ‘just crazy’ by the Prime Minister. Is it? Affordability We know that in Auckland the median house price is … Read More

Parliamentary Commissioner Highlights Environmental Win Wins

Geoff SimmonsJune 29, 2016Environment

Last year the Ministry for the Environment released Environment Aotearoa 2015. This was the first state of the environment report under the new Environment Reporting Act. Today the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has released her review of that report. … Read More

Brexit: What could happen next?

Geoff SimmonsJune 28, 2016Economics

In the wake of the Brexit vote- Britain leaving the European Union – we have had another night of falls in the pound and red ink on stockmarkets around the world. Some of this reaction is predictable – markets always … Read More

Why Congestion Charging is Great for Auckland

Geoff SimmonsJune 22, 2016Economics

In something of a U-turn the Government has finally agreed that congestion charging (a.k.a. tolls) is an important tool for Auckland – something we have been arguing for some time. This is great news for Aucklanders and the rest of … Read More

Why a Capital Gains Tax won’t stop the housing bubble

Geoff SimmonsJune 14, 2016Tax and Welfare

Capital gains tax is often put forward as a potential solution to the housing crisis. However, recent evidence shows that our de facto capital gains tax – the ‘bright line test’ – is not quenching the market. This accords with … Read More

Housing Debt Bubble No Surprise

Geoff SimmonsJune 10, 2016Tax and Welfare

As New Zealand’s debt nears half a trillion dollars, people are increasingly asking whether we are at risk of a collapse. A large chunk of that – over $200b – is mortgage debt, fuelled by a housing market boom, the … Read More

How do we help those in risky, low paid jobs in New Zealand?

Unconditional Basic Income – Only a Matter of Time

Geoff SimmonsJune 7, 2016Tax and Welfare

Over the weekend Switzerland held a referendum on whether to put in place an unconditional basic income. The proposal was rejected; no real surprise given the plan was somewhat ambitious in scale. However, the really interesting result is the number … Read More

Fact check: John Key & Steven Joyce on housing

Geoff SimmonsMay 31, 2016Economics

In a speech on Friday, Prime Minister John Key claimed that under National, twice as many new houses were being built as under Labour. Steven Joyce followed that up by stating “Auckland’s housing problems are a regulatory issue, primarily, and … Read More

Has DOC’s Funding Been Cut?

Geoff SimmonsMay 30, 2016Environment

An independent expert has claimed that DOC funding has been cut by $40m, but DOC denies the claim. The fact is that DOC’s budgets are opaque and difficult to follow on a year on year basis, so nominal funding cuts … Read More