And it's not because of National.
Firstly, yesterday, Chris Hipkins was asked if he'd tell us how he would deal with TOP, what the caveats would be.
He said:
Secondly, TOP is looking more and more likely to get into Parliament and council hold the balance of power.
Thirdly, Luxon, while wounded, will not face another coup now the detractors wouldn't organise themselves into a single ticket and topple the boss.
No more than they would organise a piss up in a brewery.
In this case the old saying it tipped on its head. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame you.
There are no third chances for a coup pre-election.
Which brings us the state of play. This election is going to be fought, won and lost, on one issue. TAX!
For Hipkins to woo the Greens, Te Pati Māori and Opportunity, they will need to move on the tax.
Chloe, Qiulae Wong and Debbie are loading the gun, cocking it and wanting to fire on kiwi households.
So which taxes?
I went on TOP's calculator this morning for the land tax.
If you're a single divorced mum with a house from your settlement worth $2m, which is not much in Auckland or the deep south, you'll be paying an extra $456 a week.
That includes $35k a year in land taxes.
If you're a couple with kids living in Beachlands, you'll be paying an extra $30 a week in taxes, including $24k in property taxes.
That's before you've factored in taxes on farmland, an effective inheritance tax, a capital gains tax on an extra house (say a retirement rental investment, or a kid you saved to buy your kids), an inheritance tax/ gift tax when you die on pass on big assets.
When you add to this the fact we don't know how these four left bloc parties will spend your money, and how effective they'll be at doing so, this gets messier than a botched Tory coup.
Ryan Bridge is a New Zealand broadcaster who has worked on many current affairs television and radio shows. He currently hosts Newstalk ZB's Early Edition - where this article was sourced.
9 comments:
Interesting the Ryan has not touched on National’s 3 new taxes. Left tax bad, right tax good?
More people think they will benefit from free money and taxes than those who do not
"When you add to this the fact we don't know how these four left bloc parties will spend your money, and how effective they'll be at doing so,"
Oh, yes We do!
God Defend New Zealand!
No one seems to talk about the land tax will have on on the price of food and how it could effectively topple our agriculturally based export sector.
Top’s land tax penalises any property owner over 65. The UBI just gets rolled into the pension which does not increase. But the land tax against your house continues until the day you die. For a 65 year old retiree living the allotted current lifespan that could easily add up to $500,000 or more over that period, either paid in instalments each year, or as a lump sum when the family house is sold.
Delusional Aotearoa may be in for the mother of all shocks......
Nothing has changed... yet. The latest poll results for TOP may just be a rogue result. People in the media are beginning to talk about TOP's tax policies and that will (hopefully) be their undoing.
Oh yes land and inheritance taxes are coming because of National Finance Minister Willis' policies. She has done no pension reform nor any health care reform and so both their costs are blowing out due to ageing population. Either those costs are funded by debt or by taxes. Willis says she will bring down debt which means taxes must blow out under National. When PM Lux says they wont raise taxes, he is not telling truth, just like he wasn't telling truth today saying full caucus back him. No credibility. Just hot air.
Why is no one asking who is bankrolling the Opportunity party? Apparently the leader applied for the "job" on an employment platform, so who is paying her salary? Who is coming up with the policy, and why is the MSM promoting ghe hell out of it?
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