Damien Grant: New Zealand’s books are burning....

.....but where are the hard decisions?

On September 2 1666, the 330th Lord Mayor of London, Sir Thomas Bloodworth, was summoned to a small conflagration. A fire had taken hold and the alderman required his permission to contain it.

The prescribed means of containment was to destroy the adjacent buildings but, well, the owners of these adjacent buildings were unhappy at this violation of their property rights.

Richard Prebble: Who really pays tax?

The poll this week on tax finds that only 4 percent of people think they should pay more tax, while 64 percent support a wealth tax.

I wonder if the pollster had read this statement first, would it have changed the answer?

Centrist: Wealth tax wins 64% support....

.....with a $10m threshold and family homes excluded

Despite the debate over tax policy, only 8% identified taxation among the country’s top concerns.

Almost two-thirds of respondents support a wealth tax targeting individual net assets above $10 million while exempting family homes, according to new Ipsos polling.