The Dunedin Mayor’s pitch to local councils in his campaign to be elected the new president of Local Government New Zealand is nuts. Despite the vast majority of ratepayers considering the move silly, Dave Cull wants to use ratepayers’ money to lobby the government to force cat owners to register their cats. ...
NZ First has announced its ‘carpet policy’ - to line all Government offices with wool carpets. NZ First are calling for wool carpets to be put back on the floors of government departments and state houses. Party leader Winston Peters believes the move would revitalise New Zealand's declining wool industry...
In my opinion piece in Wednesday's New Zealand Herald, I laid out a list of reasons why a sugar tax on soft drinks would be a bad piece of public policy and would do little, if anything, to reduce obesity rates. In brief, I pointed to the failure in other jurisdictions...
Today we have released our latest report, ‘Socialism for the Rich’, by Jim Rose. The report shows that the annual cost of corporate welfare is now $1.6 billion - or $931 per New Zealand household. ‘Socialism for the Rich’ collates the costs of all the corporate welfare expenditure in Budget 2017. It...
The efficiency of the Office of Treaty Settlements' travel arrangements needs examination, after just nine officials racked up a $57k travel bill to the Chatham Islands alone, in only 18 months. Serious questions need to be asked about why the Office have not elected to use other means to remain connected with those...
Tax threshold changes reduce lifetime tax by $80k /10 months The tax threshold changes in last month’s budget will see the largest relative tax savings go to those who already shoulder the smallest relative burden: middle-income earners. That's the conclusion of Mac Mckenna's latest report - updating the "Lifetime Tax...
Often the best information comes from those inside the public service or local government. We guarantee your anonymity and your privacy. We ask for your contact details only so we can verify the information. We will usually use the information you provide to seek details under the Official Information Act from the relevant government department or council. To report government waste, you can use the form on this page or email tipline@taxpayers.org.nz.
One of the ways the Taxpayers' Union promote sensible restraint of government expenditure is by exposing and arguing for an end to corporate and union welfare.
We put the government – politicians, officials and taxpayer-funded groups on notice that taxpayer money should treated with care. We work hard to expose waste and extravagance paid for by the taxpayer.
We are New Zealanders who have formed a union to stand up for hardworking New Zealand taxpayers. We represent the common interests of all taxpayers and aim to become New Zealand's largest union.
We are not a political party, and we don't represent big business or special interests. Joining the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union only takes a few minutes and costs $5. Membership entitles you to attend our annual conference, AGM and other events, and to get regular communications from the Taxpayers' Union.
We rely on people just like you to support and donate to our cause to fight government waste. Our annual operating budget is currently smaller than the smallest trade union.
The Taxpayers' Union stands for value for money for government spending. We want our politicians spending money as if they'd worked as hard the taxpayers who earned it and argue that new taxes should only be introduced when there are equal decreases in other taxes. We believe in a fair and efficient tax system. We are not a political party, nor are we aligned to any.
We promote sensible restraint of government expenditure by:
Joining the Taxpayers' Union costs only $5 and entitles you to attend our annual conference, AGM and other events.
With your support we can make the Taxpayers' Union a strong voice exposing waste and standing up for Kiwi taxpayers.
Often the best information comes from those inside the public service or local government. We guarantee your anonymity and your privacy.
