Nicola Willis' comparison of Wellington City Council to a butcher's slaughterhouse is demeaning to both the ratepayers of Wellington, and hard working, decent, blue collar butchers around New Zealand, says the Taxpayers' Union."Nicola Willis' comments on Newstalk ZB this morning were totally over the top. While Wellington City Council might be a...
Tauranga City Council has today faced backlash from local cafes and restaurants following changes to outdoor dining fees that would see further costs piled onto hospitality businesses offering alfresco dining options.“It’s a table-tax, plain and simple.” said Local Government Campaigns Manager for the Taxpayers’ Union, Sam Warren.“Mayor Drysdale needs to dip his...
The New Zealand Taxpayers Union can reveal through an Official Information Request that $605,499 of corporate welfare was given by the Māori Language Commission to PB Tech for the development of Te Reo Keyboards.Commenting on this, Taxpayers’ Union Communications Officer, Alex Emes, said:“Instead of using taxpayer dollars to improve the lives of Māori, the...
As Central Government intervention in Wellington City Council seems to be getting more and more likely, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, warned commentators to “be careful what you wish for.”“We’ve all seen this movie before. When commissioners stepped into Tauranga, the city carried on sliding into...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal through the Official Information Act that the New Zealand Film Commission has spent $145,354.81 for just four staff members to spend two weeks in France attending the Cannes Film Market.Receipts showed $24,329.08 in accommodation, $24,525.36 in food and drink, and $21,704.54 on travel.Commenting on this, Taxpayers’...
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on ASB Bank CEO Vittoria Shortt to put her money where her mouth is and make a donation to the Government given her call for New Zealanders to be taxed even more.Stuff reports that Ms Shortt says “New Zealand has to collect more tax to invest...