The Taxpayers’ Union is renewing its calls to abolish all tariffs following reports that Australia plans to unilaterally abolish nearly 500 of its tariffs.
Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said:
“With the stroke of a pen, the Government could help households struggling with the cost of living by eliminating tariffs that increase the price of goods such as sunblock, clothing and leather shoes.
Abolishing the tariff wold be much better than taking GST off it as some are asking the government to do.
“Not only do tariffs make prices more expensive for consumers, they also add unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy, slowing down trade and making it more difficult for people to do business internationally. New Zealand’s tariffs cost the economy more than the measly revenue they generate. Throwing them out the window is well overdue.
“These tariffs do nothing except keep prices artificially high. We should go further than our Australian cousins and abolish all remaining tariffs entirely to help those struggling with the cost of living.”
Tariffs are a tax on consumers that add to their costs.
If businesses can’t compete fairly with importers without the tax they should improve what they do or do something else.
New Zealand takes a dim view of businesses that restrict access or add costs to our exports.
As champions of free trade we should be leading by example.
Ele Ludemann is a North Otago farmer and journalist, who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.
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