Dear Supporter,



Pay back the money, Rio Tinto







This morning it was announced that Rio Tinto plans to close operations <[link removed]> at its Tiwai Point smelter near Invercargill.



This comes after Rio Tinto received a $30 million bailout from taxpayers in 2013 to “future proof” the New Zealand operation. Now that the smelter is closing anyway, it's time to pay the money back.



Globally, Rio Tinto brings in more than $40 billion in revenue each year. Paying back the bailout would cost them less than 0.1% of that.



Our politicians need to send this message. We risk becoming seen as a soft touch by foreign corporations who think they can ‘take the money and run’.



'Aroha' posters deemed to be political ads for Labour







The Electoral Commission has now confirmed to us that the 'aroha' posters of Jacinda Ardern do indeed constitute unauthorised party advertisements for Labour.



This judgment comes after we laid a complaint. The Commission's response to the Unioncan be viewed here <[link removed]>.



We're pleased to have clarity on this. As we explained to Stuff <[link removed]>, the Taxpayers' Union is forced to comply with strict rules around political advertising, especially in the lead-up to an election. It's a matter of democratic integrity that these rules are applied equally, regardless of a campaigner's political slant.



The artists (Weston Frizzell) are now required to take 'corrective action', and if the Commission is not satisfied with this action, it has the power to refer the advertiser to the Police.



Wealth tax = envy tax



The wealth tax proposed by the Green Party would be a disastrous idea at any time – but especially during an economic recession. The only real winners would be tax accountants.



Click here <[link removed]> to watch Islay's video on the topic:



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On KiwiBlog <[link removed]>, our new Economist, Karan Menon, goes into more depth:



With the economic ruin of COVID-19, capital investment is required more than ever. A wealth tax would see much needed capital investments disappear. Economists call this ‘capital flight’. This would be especially painful right now, where money supply is increasingly unresponsive to decreases in interest rates. We want wealthy investors coming into New Zealand – not to chase them away. We want the James Camerons of the world to choose to live (and invest) here – so their skills and capital can rebuild our economy and create jobs. 



Taxpayer victory! David Clark resigns







It's taken a while, but after 2,800 people signed our petition calling for the Health Minister to be sacked, he has finally got the message.



We had to laugh when we saw that the resignation – and our petition – was even covered by Russian state-owned media <[link removed]>!



David Clark failed to justify his $296,000 taxpayer-funded salary. He was basically absent from the public eye during a global pandemic, with Jacinda Ardern and Ashley Bloomfield fronting the media each day.



'Cometh the hour, cometh the man' sadly never applied to our Health Minister.



National's mystery man needs to front up







National Leader Todd Muller claims that his missing-in-action MP Jian Yang is a “man who is delivering great value”.



This comes after it was reported he has spent two years refusing to talk to English-language media <[link removed]>.



Maybe Jian Yang is delivering taxpayers value, but if he won’t front to media, how will we ever know?



Sitting on a tidy $179,000 salary, the least he can do is answer a few questions from the press gallery. We'd be especially interested in learning about his background in China, where he trained Communist Party spies <[link removed]>.



Taxpayers pay for MPs. It's not unreasonable to ask them to front up.



Fuel tax goes up, and Labour's slogan is what?



In the same week the Government increased fuel taxes for the third year in a row, Labour announced their new slogan for the election: "Let's keep moving".



Perhaps they're planning an ad campaign like this:







During a recession, this tax hike sabotages the country’s recovery efforts. It disproportionately hits low-income commuters, it discourages regional tourism, and it increases the cost of all types of goods. 



For the record, here's how much of your petrol bill is now tax:







The worst part: the justification for this tax was that it was meant to pay for Phil Twyford's light rail tram in Auckland. Now that he's shelved the tram until after the election, why is the Government still plowing ahead with higher taxes?



That reminds me, here's another suggestion for Labour's campaign team:







Finally, a tax is frozen



ACC Minister Ian Lees-Galloway has announced the Government will freeze ACC levies <[link removed]> for two years.



That's a good move. An economic crisis is the worst time to increase tax.



But we'd like to see this principle applied to other taxes. Income taxes continue to increase as inflation pushes earners into higher tax brackets. That needs to be fixed. Then there are fuel taxes and road user charges. And what about council rates?



On that note...



A second local council cuts rates







First it was Horowhenua District Council, now Taupo District Council <[link removed]> becomes the second in the country to cut rates in response to COVID-19 hardships.



This is what leadership looks like. It will require some difficult cuts to planned spending, but it's a sensible response to the sacrifices made by families who lost livelihoods during the lockdown.



We're sending our congratulations to the councillors who made it happen – and continuing to lobby councils that are planning to increase rates this year.



All the best,





Louis Houlbrooke

Campaigns Manager

New Zealand Taxpayers' Union



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Media coverage:



Stuff  Weston Frizzell's 'Aroha' posters ruled to be adverts for Labour Party <[link removed]>



Newshub  Electoral Commission finds Jacinda Ardern 'Aroha' posters are political ads, not art <[link removed]>



RNZ  Jacinda Ardern art posters deemed party advertisements <[link removed]>



KiwiBlog  Guest Post: A wealth of problems with wealth tax <[link removed]>



Newshub  Todd Muller defends Chinese Communist Party-linked National MP Jian Yang, who's accused of avoiding English media <[link removed]>



Newshub  World reacts: Dr David Clark's resignation makes global headlines <[link removed]>



Homepaddock  App another govt fail <[link removed]>



NZ Herald  Andy Asquith: Is Phil Goff about to have his Brexit moment? <[link removed]>



KiwiBlog  Taxpayer Talk: Socialism – The Failed Idea that Never Dies <[link removed]>



Newstalk ZB  Taxpayers' Union wants Christchurch residents to have more options <[link removed]>



Newshub  Ardern defends returning Kiwis, Govt unsure whether it can legally charge them for isolation stay <[link removed]>



Homepaddock  Reds’ policy path to poverty <[link removed]>



Sunday Star-Times  Damien Grant: Statues represent the complex legacy of settlers <[link removed]>



Stuff  Refinery closure would cost 1000 Northland jobs and push up fuel prices, says union <[link removed]>



Homepaddock  About that fuel tax <[link removed]>



Stuff  Councils under pressure to save and invest, to kickstart economy <[link removed]>



The Spinoff  Idea: Let’s not mess up Auckland to save ratepayers 47 cents a week <[link removed]>











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New Zealand Taxpayers' Union Inc. - 117 Lambton Quay, Level 4, Wellington 6011, New Zealand

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