Category Archive

On today’s Morning Report the Prime Minister John Key put the home insulation grants in the top three things his Government is doing for the poor, alongside benefit increases and free doctor’s visits up to the age of 13. But … Read More

Judith Collins happily chucked her “Non-PC” views into the supercharged arena that is the current debate on low-income low opportunity families in New Zealand. What she had to say contained elements of truth. And because the story that is often … Read More

Every time homelessness hits the headlines, the statistics get challenged. The often quoted number is that there are 41,000 homeless people in Aotearoa New Zealand, which is a staggering 1 in every 100 people. Some claim this number is inflated … Read More

Our Prime Minster says that it is too complicated to set a target to reduce child poverty. Apparently there are too many measures, and he has received advice from officials telling him to put this one in the too hard … Read More

A principle of a good income taxation regime is that it is neutral, that all income gets taxed in the same way. Unfortunately ever since New Zealand moved from land and property taxes to income tax an anomaly has been … Read More

Every time we discuss new taxes, people raise the possible alternative of a Financial Transaction Tax in New Zealand. Known by some as a Robin Hood Tax, or a Tobin Tax, the FTT would put a small charge on every … Read More

Some workers in low paid jobs in New Zealand are eyeing up strike action in response to several years of low wage rises. Employers say they can’t afford to pay higher wages. Wage increases have been below 2% for the past four years, … Read More

In June I released a report detailing my idea for a Comprehensive Capital Income Tax (CCIT). This reform would close the loopholes in the New Zealand tax system, eliminate speculation in the housing market and importantly improve the capital available … Read More

Many countries around the world are looking at piloting an Unconditional Basic Income (UBI), and some are suggesting that New Zealand should follow suit. Actually we have been running a UBI pilot for many decades. It isn’t quite unconditional – … Read More