Next time you splutter your way through a cloud of second-hand smoke, consider the plight of the poor sod who exhaled it. The average smoker earns less, has poorer mental health, and will live a shorter life than the rest of us. They face social stigma, restricted employment opportunities, and...
Taxpayers' Union Executive Director Jordan Williams and consulting economist Joe Ascroft both attended the Budget 2021 lock up. Louis asks why they've described it as a major shift in the economic dial to the left. And what's this about another new tax? You can subscribe to Taxpayer Talk via Apple Podcasts, Spotify,...
We’re just out of the Budget 2021 lock up, where your humble taxpayer advocates and analysts have spent the morning working through the Budget papers. I’m afraid to tell you that from a taxpayer perspective there are no redeeming features of this Budget. It represents a major shift of the...
Government sticks its nose into your KiwiSaver portfolio Our old friend David Clark is back in the news. Today he rolled up to work 🚴 and announced the Government will force default KiwiSaver providers to boycott fossil fuel investments. I told the media why this is a terrible idea: The last thing KiwiSaver...
The New Zealand Herald has rightly argued that the Labour Government's Auckland light rail plan is facing huge hurdles to get back on track. It notes that the cost of light rail has soared from $2.3b to up to $15b. Since being elected on a promise of light rail, Labour has...
The Government’s bombshell announcement that it will rein in public sector salaries has been applauded by unionists – specifically, the Taxpayers’ Union. Union co-founder, blogger, and cheeky fellow David Farrar proclaimed Grant Robertson and Chris Hipkins honorary members of the Taxpayers’ Union for their fiscal restraint during a pandemic. It is hard to...