Bryce Edwards: How Labour’s tax cut will do little but benefit the rich

Who would profit most from Labour’s GST-exemption policy? 

It won’t be those struggling with the cost of living – the average shopper is unlikely to see any real change in supermarket prices if Chris Hipkins was to implement his tax-off fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables.

The real winner would be the supermarket company duopoly who will pocket most of the GST exemption, along with supermarket lobbyists, the lawyers, accountants and public servants who would be in demand to administer and fight over the tax rules. Even if there is a trickle-down in reduced fruit and vege prices, economists say most of this will be disproportionately enjoyed by wealthier shoppers.

John MacDonald: Labour's fruitloop thinking on GST

How likely is it, do you think, that when the Australian Prime Minister jumped on the plane yesterday after his visit to Wellington and headed back to Canberra, Chris Hipkins wished he was on the plane too?

You know, like kids, they’ll have a playdate with one of their mates, but they don’t want the party to end and then they want to turn it into a sleepover.

I reckon that’s how Hipkins will have been feeling yesterday when he saw Anthony Albanese’s plane heading down the runway. Or maybe it was US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s plane Hipkins wanted to be on. Because he was in Wellington yesterday too.

Peter Wilson: Week in Politics - Kiri Allan's out, wealth tax keeps haunting Hipkins

The political implications of Kiri Allan's downfall; David Parker gives up revenue - was there "a whiff of petulance" around his decision? National says Labour's tax policy includes removing GST from fruit and vegetables, and it isn't denied.

A justice minister being arrested is about as bad as it gets for a government going into an election but writing Labour off because of Kiri Allan's downfall could be premature.