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Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Heather du Plessis-Allan: Farmers called Labour's bluff ahead of the election

New Zealand farmers have called Labour’s bluff on the climate tax Labour was planning, and they’ve won this thing. 

After yesterday’s announcement from the Nats, there is now very little chance- actually probably no chance at all- that Labour will put any kind of tax on farmers before the election.

Because what happened yesterday is that farmers got hope. All they have to do is hold on for the next four months.

Don't agree to anything, wait until October, and if National and ACT get elected- and the three most recent polls say that’s what’s going to happen- they won’t be burdened with the enormous tax Labour was planning for them.

This is more egg on Labour and James Shaw’s face than many of us probably realise. Because Labour said they were going to do this. They told their supporters in 2017 that if they won the election, they would force farmers to pay for their emissions in their first term.

And here we are, at the end of their second term, if not their tenure in Government, and they haven’t been able to do it.

That'll be extremely disappointing to their supporters, who have been dying for the farmers to get their comeuppance. It's yet another delivery failure, alongside solving the housing crisis and child poverty and Light Rail to the airport. 

Labour will keep going to keep trying. They tried to threaten a nitrogen levy in the last few weeks, but as we predicted on the show- it was a bluff. It's not happening.

There's a now meeting scheduled for Thursday at Fieldays between the Prime Minister, Damien O’Connor the Agriculture Minister, James Shaw from the Greens, David Parker and the farming leaders

And apparently, the Government’s going to propose a new idea- an R&D levy. So at least they can say to their supporters that they got something from farmers. 

But farmers don’t need to agree anymore.

Because why should they? They only have to hang on another 4 months.

Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and commentator who hosts Newstalk ZB's Drive show.

4 comments:

Rob Beechey said...

This Labour/Greens government has blood on its hands. The stress levels that the farming community has had to endure in the name of fairy dust and unicorns is criminal. The corrupt MSM can’t distance themselves either and should be held jointly culpable.

Anonymous said...

Farmers plus all other sane individuals, just ignore these psychopaths masquerading as our government and do not comply with any of their insane directives. Mass non compliance required, otherwise tyranny ensues. We have to cut all ties to the UN, WEF, WHO,IMF,NATO and all other private public partnerships that they have signed us up to. These 'partnerships' are NOT in our best interests.

Anonymous said...

The Dutch government is unrelenting in shutting down “pollution-emitting” farmers and forcing them to sell to the government. The lever is a severe cutback in nitrogen-based fertilizers that are essential to profitable food production. This is the epitome of the WEF’s Great Reset where “By 2030 you will own nothing and be happy.”

The farmers are about to own nothing and they are far from happy. — Technocracy News & Trends Editor Patrick Wood

Ross said...

Barry Brill has written two articles published on this site about the error in the number used, for the past 30 years, concerning the effect of methane. The error and the correct figure have been accepted by the IPCC. So if Labour/Greens did try to push forward with its tax then they would leave themselves open to a massive Court case.

Shaw and co. always say follow the science. Well the error in the science has been found and a more accurate figure has been given, in a peer reviewed paper now accepted by the IPCC. So follow the science and adjust the policies involved. In NZ's case this would mean no tax.