Comments on: Hickey on Key

By: StephenR

StephenR — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:38:14 +0000

Sensible, was more looking at his views on tax rates generally more than anything else, admittedly. But it ain’t a left view.

By: Bea

Bea — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:35:36 +0000

There’s an interesting paper on capital gains tax and the lack thereof here:

http://www.goodreturns.co.nz/article/976485506/capital-gains-tax-the-new-zealand-case.html

Iparticularly enjoyed this paragraph:
“The average salary earner has few opportunities to earn tax-free capital sums. One opportunity was a redundancy payment. This is, in effect, a payment for human capital. Since in many circumstances such payments could be traded off for taxable salary, the New Zealand Parliament made redundancy payments taxable. However, payments for humiliation on redundancy have retained their tax-free status. As this opportunity has become more widely known, New Zealand employers have shown a tendency to ensure that redundant staff have been subject to increasing levels of humiliation.”

By: Sensible

Sensible — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:04:18 +0000

Bernard Hickey decried the banks for their senseless lending to Alan Crafar’s farming group. Now he decries the banks again for not lending to businesses. Hickey is all over the place and not consistent. He is more left-wing than right-wing StephenR. The man doesn’t have a political philosophy. He only wants to raise his public profile, by saying anything that suits the left and the right.

By: Bernard Hickey

Bernard Hickey — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:16:44 +0000

Trevor
I think has left himself some wiggle room on CGT and hasn’t ruled out a land tax yet. What about a land tax? One way to pull in the richest 10% who have made a killing in the last 5 years from the property boom but have paid no tax.

To others
I was the editor of XtraMSN in 2005. Before that I was Business Editor of the Dominion Post and worked for Reuters and the FT group as a journalist and editor in Wellington, Canberra, Sydney, London and Singapore. After XtraMSN I worked as the editor of The Independent and Head of Fairfax Digital. It’s true I have views on lots of things, as I’m sure many people (and politicians) do.

cheers
Bernard

By: Trevor Mallard

Trevor Mallard — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:22:38 +0000

Could have been implemented before they were in government.

By: Phil Anderson

Phil Anderson — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:05:17 +0000

Bet he is kicking himself now.

Kicking himself that National isn’t implementing a wildly unpopular tax, while Labour almost falls over itself in support?

By: Phil Anderson

Phil Anderson — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:03:00 +0000

Mattyroo – it’s wonderfully ironic that you rant about Labour MP’s reading only half of Econ101, when it’s clear you didn’t get as far as the International Economics 200 level papers.

By: Trevor Mallard

Trevor Mallard — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:40:32 +0000

Well I was in the meeting where Michael Cullen offered to work with National to develop a bipartisan approach on the ring fencing of property investments – Key and English agreed in the room and then English went out leaked the details of the meeting and vetoed working together. Bet he is kicking himself now.

By: sean14

sean14 — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:37:03 +0000

Trevor – pretty easy for Mr Goff to make the offer in Opposition, but I don’t recall the Labour Government falling over itself to introduce a capital gains tax from 1999 to 2008.

By: TopCat

TopCat — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:34:46 +0000

it would be good if Labour took up the case of the high dollar- the government don’t seem interested.
Robert Wade- visiting UK economist has an article in today’s Herald which is very similar to Bernard’s.
In Australia left wing economists like Ken Davison are also pointing to the looming foreign investment bubble. So its not just righties that want something done.
Of course those currently benefiting from the current situation will do everything they can to oppose change, though I suspect they will be on the losing side, the world simply can’t go on with huge trade and currency inbalances.