Dear Supporter,



Labour uses Ashley Bloomfield for the election campaign







On Saturday the Labour Party posted a new ad on its Facebook page. The ad was filmed in the Ministry of Health's contact tracing centre and included a number of public servants, including Dr Ashley Bloomfield (see the still image above).



This is a disgraceful. Taxpayer-funded civil servants should not be made complicit in the governing party’s political propaganda.



And during an election campaign, it is especially important that the Prime Minister does not use her special access to public servants in a way that advantages her political party. You can read our full comments here. <[link removed]>



Shortly after we (and ACT) drew attention to these problems, Labour took down the video for a re-edit <[link removed]>. But it's hard to see how this ad can be salvaged.



We've lodged a complaint with the State Services Commission.



Local leadership woes show need for recall elections







Two recent stories are sadly typical examples of failed leadership at the local level.



At Tauranga City Council, elected officials are calling for the resignation of Mayor Tenby Powell <[link removed]>, who has apparently created a toxic culture, abusing colleagues in front of staff and causing one councillor to claim he hates working at the Council.



Meanwhile, at Canterbury DHB, seven out of 11 executives have resigned <[link removed]>, with the chief medical officer blaming the Board's adversarial culture.



Frustratingly, in both cases local voters have to wait two years for the chance to eject those responsible.



We say that's not good enough. In the latest episode of Policy in 60 Seconds, Islay explains how recall elections could be introduced in New Zealand to boot out failed politicians before their term is up:



<[link removed]>

Click here to watch on Facebook. <[link removed]>



Last week we teamed up with the Ratepayers' Alliance and the Rodney-based Northern Action Group to launch a joint campaign for recall elections.



Here's Jordan discussing the idea with Peter Williams on Magic Talk. <[link removed]>



<[link removed]>



You can read the policy proposal paper here <[link removed]>, and add your voice to the campaign here <[link removed]>.



Burger subsidies? There's got to be a better way







The Restaurant Association is campaigning for a taxpayer-funded subsidy on dining out <[link removed]>.



Usually, a business group wouldn’t dare ask for such a blatant special favour. But in the age of COVID-19, the floodgates have opened with the Government agreeing to handouts for favoured sectors such as the racing industry, and to fashionable businesses like AJ Hackett Bungy.



Financial assistance should apply fairly to all. A temporary cut to GST, for example, would benefit all struggling businesses by encouraging consumers to bring forward spending, whether that be on eating out or on a new washing machine.



I made the case for a temporary GST cut in this op-ed on Interest.co.nz <[link removed]>.



We'd also suggest that instead of handouts, many businesses could benefit from regulatory relief which doesn’t cost taxpayers a cent. In fact, the Restaurant Association was on to a good thing earlier last week <[link removed]> when it suggested restaurants should be able to sell alcohol with their deliveries and takeaways.



$8.8 million beautification of council chamber is obscene







Ratepayers in the Waikato are forking out $8.8 million <[link removed]> for the Regional Council's fit-out of its new office.



The Chairman, Russ Rimmington, complained that before renovation the chamber looked like a badminton hall and had ‘no style’.



Diddums. Self-important regional councillors might think they’re entitled to more extravagant surroundings, but most ratepayers will never see the inside of this building.



The Council doesn’t even own the building, so the $3.1 million spent on building works won’t be reclaimed at sale down the line. From a ratepayer perspective, this money may as well have been tossed in the river.



More Debt Monster sightings



After a brief disappearance during the new COVID-19 outbreak, the Debt Monster is back with a vengeance.



New Zealand First staff were alarmed to see him approaching their campaign bus outside Parliament, and drove away moments after this photo was taken:







Later, he was seen trying out Trevor Mallard's $572,000 slide:







Witnesses report he's a big fan.



The Debt Monster even tried to give James Shaw a hug at a business breakfast, but the Green Party co-leader wouldn't face him.  <[link removed]>😔







Taxpayer Talk podcast going strong



Two more episodes of our Taxpayer Talk podcast are available.



In the first, Islay sits down with former Treasury economist Michael Reddell to discuss what the Reserve Bank's money-printing and interest rate-cutting means for the economy. Listen here. <[link removed]>



In the second, I challenge the CEO of Tourism NZ to explain why his agency is spending $10 million on an international tourism campaign while the borders are closed. Listen here. <[link removed]>



You can find all our Taxpayer Talk episodes on Apple Podcasts <[link removed]>, Spotify <[link removed]>, Google Podcasts <[link removed]>, and iHeartRadio <[link removed]>.



Have a great week,





Louis Houlbrooke

Campaigns Manager

New Zealand Taxpayers' Union



<[link removed]>



Media coverage:



Newshub  ACT's David Seymour says Labour acting like a 'one-party state' after releasing video featuring shot of Ashley Bloomfield <[link removed]>



Newstalk ZB  Labour campaign ad featuring Ashley Bloomfield has been taken down <[link removed]>



StuffMega polytech has 21 staff with chief executive in their title <[link removed]>



Stuff  Restaurants want Government to spend $27m subsidising meals <[link removed]>



Northland Age  A pattern of sloppiness <[link removed]>



KiwiBlog  Taxpayer Talk: Michael Reddell on Unemployment, Negative Interest Rates and a Temporary Cut to GST <[link removed]>



Sunday Star-Times  The price of our vain belief in Covid-19 exceptionalism <[link removed]>



Interest.co.nz  If we can't cut the OCR, how about GST? <[link removed]>



Stuff  'Don't blame us, we don't decide what we're paid' - the catchcry of mayors and councillors everywhere <[link removed]>



NZ Herald  Covid 19 coronavirus lockdown: Auckland Mayor Phil Goff on extension - 'Do not panic buy' <[link removed]>



Northland Age  A tale of two speeches <[link removed]>



Homepaddock  No indexation = tax increase <[link removed]>



Sunday Star-Times  What NZ's economy can learn from the myth of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal success <[link removed]>



Otago Daily Times  Councillor's $100k-plus salary for 30hrs a week <[link removed]>



Timaru Herald  Another SCDHB surplus 'sets an example' for others <[link removed]>











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

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