Accusing MPs of self-interest over tax a little bit silly sometimes

Thought this old post from Kiwiblog spoke to some recent events. One of the frustrating things about trying to have a sensible debate about the correct level of taxation in this country, is that whenever an MP talks about reducing the tax burden, left wing MPs allege their only motivation is self interest and play…

Tax Cuts, Fairness and Pie

ZenTiger repeats the old story of the 10 men at the restaurant. It’s a good story to illustrate the way we talk about tax. But I was thinking the other day, that it could be improved by the addition of some actual illustrations – graphs. So here goes. ——- Every day, ten men went to…

How much tax do familes really pay?

The other day, DPF posted this chart. If you have even just one child you do not pay any income tax until you are earning $42,000! And you keep receiving WFF until you earn $74,000. With two kids, then your family pays no income tax $50,000 of income. And you receive WFF until you earn…

Who first signed up to cutting the top rate?

Well, I would make the case that Labour was the party that first agreed to cut the top tax rate. In their 2005 agreement with United Future, it was agreed: they will conduct a review of the current business taxation regimes with the view of ensuring the system works to give better incentives for productivity…

Tax the rich, and you get fewer rich

All this fuss about “tax cuts for the rich, paid for by the poor” ignores some basic facts of life. First, tax cuts aren’t handing out money. Homepaddock covered this one nicely. Second, while making a  massive fuss about how the “poor” get hammered by this and that (much of which I have smypathy for…

Public Service Announcement #2

Also (and I keep forgetting to say this) tomorrow is the last day of the tax year. Big woop, I know. But, if you were to give your April donation tomorrow, you then get your 1/3 tax rebate back in a couple of weeks, rather than next April. And while I’m at it, I must…

Inflation…

DPF’s post on GST and inflation reminded me of this photo I took early 2008. I usually buy the generic brand (they do all come from the same factory after all) and that’s currently around the $9 mark. I do think however that raising GST is absolutely, unequivocally, stupid. It gives the “National Hates The…

Tax it and it dies

DRJ posts at Patterico that Maryland has had a massive decrease in millionaires. Now, partly this is the recession. But the fact that they raised taxes on people who can easily afford to move doesn’t appear to have helped. Y’know, isn’t it the left that’s always going on about how poor people get affected by…

Lunacy of the day – Fat tax on Vegemite

Bizarre. Why can’t the government just let people make their own mistakes and leave it at that? The Australian Food and Grocery Council, and now the federal opposition, have attacked the Rudd government’s preventive health taskforce, challenging its credibility over fat taxes and claiming Vegemite could be forced off the shelves because it is too…

It’s not Either/Or

The Standard: There are times when the Maori Party will have to choose between backing the interests of the Maori working class or the interests of the Maori business elite. A common Maori identity is no use when one side wants a pay rise and the other wants to keep its profits; when one side…