The Taxpayers’ Union is repeating its popular election costing tool with the launch of the 2017 General Election Bribe-O-Meter to keep track of the cost of party manifestos in the lead up to polling day.The Bribe-O-Meter provides transparency on what the promises made by political parties will cost and it holds to account politicians who make...
The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that over $7 million of taxpayer money has been spent on the power bills of 94 of New Zealand’s largest companies since July 2014. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority’s (EECA) ‘large energy users programme’ provides funding to businesses, in an attempt to encourage them to...
Up to 55% of calls from taxpayers are being rejected by the IRD because it does not have enough staff rostered on to answer the phones, according to data supplied to the Taxpayers' Union covering a 2-week period in May this year.At tax time, the least the Government could do...
The Green Party’s attempt to increase the welfare state in their policy launched over the weekend, is not only an unnecessary burden on taxpayers but also founded on a misunderstanding of the economic realities facing New Zealand. Firstly, the Green's claim that inequality has been increasing in New Zealand. This...
The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal the Human Rights Commission’s recent “Give Nothing To Racism” anti-discrimination campaign has been funded by discriminatory levies payable only by international students and new migrants. The Human Rights Commission campaign featuring advertisements of Neil Finn and Taika Waititi was funded from the Export Education Levy,...
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. ...
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.
