How Labour is trying to buff its image on the law-and-order front and woo farmers with tax changes
A raft of media headlines over the past few days highlights the challenge for a government hoping to be re-elected on the strength of its performance when it comes to keeping the community safe from criminals.
Among them:
The Labour Party has responded with the promise of delivering an additional 300 frontline police officers if it is re-elected, creating what it says would be the best ratio of police to people in modern history.
Newshub reports:
A law and order policy announcement from Labour on Thursday included a promise to develop gang convoy legislation that could involve seizing vehicles as well as strengthening legal protections against stalking and harassment.
Police Minister Ginny Andersen has done her bit to counter the impression created by adverse news headlines by digging into police statistics and issuing a statement to boast that 50,000 charges have been laid in a crackdown on gangs.
Then there’s the farmer vote to be considered.
Leading figures from the major political parties will be grilled on their primary sector policies at the inaugural Rural Issues Debate at Mystery Creek Events Centre in Hamilton next Thursday.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ), DairyNZ and Federated Farmers have teamed up to organise the event, which will be moderated by radio host and columnist Heather du Plessis-Allan.
The debating panel will feature Damien O’Connor (Labour), James Shaw (the Green Party), Todd McClay (National), Andrew Hoggard (ACT), and Mark Patterson (New Zealand First).
“It’s tough right now in rural New Zealand, profitability is under pressure and farmer confidence is low,” says B+LNZ chair Kate Acland.
A good measure of farmer sentiment can be gauged from the first quarterly Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey of the year.
It found that after dropping to an historic low in late 2022, New Zealand farmer sentiment has crept higher but rural confidence remains deep in negative territory overall.
Just one in 20 farmers holds an optimistic view on the prospects for the agricultural economy in the year ahead.
The latest survey — completed late last month — found farmer confidence was up on the previous quarter (Dec 2022), with the net confidence reading rising to -58 per cent, from -71 per cent previously.
The latest survey found the number of farmers expecting conditions in the agricultural economy to improve in the coming 12 months had risen to five per cent (from four per cent in the previous quarter) while the percentage expecting conditions to worsen fell to 63 per cent (down from 75 per cent). A total of 31 per cent were anticipating the agricultural economy to remain stable (up from 19 per cent previously).
The Government today brought a morsel of good news to some farmers by confirming details of the tax changes to the bright-line test for cyclone-damaged properties,.
Revenue Minister Barbara Edmonds released a Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) to be considered by the Finance and Expenditure Committee in the next Parliament, as it finalises an annual taxation rates bill that is already before the House.
“As previously announced, the law change will ensure that owners of cyclone or flood damaged properties who agree to a voluntary council buy-out will not be caught by the tax rules that apply to profits on some land sales.”
The Supplementary Order Paper also picks up technical changes required to fix a double-taxation issue that has arisen for shareholders in co-operative companies, such as Fonterra.
“The changes address an issue that would see a majority of pay outs to shareholders lose their deductible status, even when there has been no change in their shareholding,” Barbara Edmonds said.
“Farmer shareholders such as those who supply to Fonterra could lose out on future payouts. This would be a result of the company’s income being taxed twice, in the hands of the co-operative and farmers.
“A change will be made to maintain the current treatment of deductible distributions until the end of the 2025 income year, providing more time to find a long-term solution. By allowing Fonterra to continue to deduct distributions this way, the Government is forecast to collect $58 million less in tax revenue.
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7 SEPTEMBER 2023
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6 SEPTEMBER 2023
Police Minister Ginny Andersen has today congratulated Police in their efforts to crack down on gangs, after laying 50,000 charges against gang members and their associates through the hugely successful Operation Cobalt.
The Government has confirmed details of the tax changes to the bright-line test for cyclone-damaged properties, with the release of the required legislative amendments.
In her statement Ginny Andersen said Police have:
- Laid 50,396 criminal charges against gang members and their associates
- Issued 64,524 infringement offence notices
- Seized 501 illegal firearms
- Executed 1,369 warranted searches and 781 warrantless searches
“The vast majority of offending by gang members is serious.”
Police have laid charges against gang members for
- Assaults
- Intimidation and threats
- Family offences
- Burglary and theft
- Car conversion
- Arms Act offences
- Drug offences
It has also given Police greater powers to go after gang members, including the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Amendment Bill, which targets gang leaders and facilitators who try to hide their illegally-gained profits through their associates and the Criminal Activity Intervention Legislation Bill, which gives Police greater tools to crack down on gang violence.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
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