NationBuilder

The Government's Zero Carbon Bill is likely to lead to higher taxes on fuel, energy, and businesses – all of which will flow through to family budgets.

In a move that surprised many, the National Party supported the Bill at its final reading. As the Bill is written, we say this betrays National's official party values of limited government, competitive enterprise, and strong families.

By treating climate change as a moral issue that requires a ‘blank cheque’, the Bill comes with serious costs. According to the NZ Initiative, the Bill’s requirement to limit offsets to New Zealand will add $300 billion to our emissions bill. The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research forecasts that, under this legislation, GDP could be up to 22 per cent smaller by 2050. If that’s not a new regulatory tax, we don’t know what is!

Worst of all, the Bill in its final form will not do anything about climate change, because it focuses on domestic emissions, and ignores the likelihood of emission-producing activity just shifting overseas.

National’s promise to rein in the Bill once they’re in power is a cop-out. By supporting the Bill’s passage, they’ve given a mandate for future left-wing governments to tax and regulate on an extreme level in order to meet the Bill’s targets.

Our submission on the technical aspects of the Zero Carbon Bill can be read here.

After two years, Local Government Minister still hasn’t met with ratepayers

A year after we last checked, we can again confirm: Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta still hasn’t met with a ratepayer group or residents’ association since she was appointed. Not even one.

In her two years as Minister she has clocked up hundreds of meetings with local government officials, and the lobby groups representing local councils. It is incredible that she’s managed to ignore the ratepayers who fund all this bureaucracy. This is like a Minister of Health not talking to any sick people.

There are many dozens of ratepayer associations across New Zealand who would happily give the Minister first-hand insights into whether her sector is delivering value for money. The Minister’s failure to engage with these groups will create a rose-tinted view of local councils, who are saddling ratepayers across the country with higher costs and frustration.

Disclosure of candidates’ convictions would be a win for transparency

Northland MP Matt King has submitted a private members’ bill to Parliament which would force political candidates to disclose serious criminal convictions.

We've got people that have been convicted of serious criminal offending that are actually being elected to council. I don't have any specific central Government examples but I do have local councillors that if the public knew what they'd done, I don't think they would have been elected.

We've got gang members, one in particular that has served 22 months in jail for him and his gang mates assaulting two police officers, knocking them unconscious. A serious offence, a cowardly attack and you can't find any record of that.

Ratepayers and taxpayers need information to judge whether candidates can be trusted with power – that’s especially true in the case of convictions that may reveal a dishonest or reckless character.

The Taxpayers’ Union is encouraging all parties to get on board with this Bill. Transparency shouldn’t be a left-right issue.

Taxpayers bled dry by liberal New York comedian

You might have seen the recent coverage of American talk show host Stephen Colbert visiting Jacinda Ardern here in New Zealand.

With families struggling under new taxes and under-resourced infrastructure, we shouldn’t be using taxpayer money to fund visits by Jacinda Ardern’s showbiz mates.

The American CBS television network is perfectly capable of covering accommodation for its star and crew. Likewise, the New Zealand tourism industry can fund celebrity visits without help from the taxpayer. Sadly, much of Tourism New Zealand’s spending appears to be wasteful, feel-good corporate welfare.

Is your council considering becoming a "Living Wage" employer?

When Wellington City Council proudly announced last year that it was the first council in the country to gain the official "Living Wage Employer" accreditation, it didn't mention the fees.

We've discovered that the left-wing Living Wage campaign charges the Council $4,000 a year to keep its accreditation.

That's a lot of money for a gold sticker. Obviously, if the Council wants to inflate its employees’ wages, it can simply do that without paying for the title. There's no need to pay extra ratepayer fees to a political group, just to get a pat on the back from left-wing activists.

We also have information on the fees associated with other accreditations held by the Council and its CCOs. You can read more here.

Jump in unemployment shows need for tax relief

This week, new figures show unemployment jumping upwards from 3.9% to 4.2%.

This is another warning of weakness in the economy. So what should the Government do?

With interest rates already so close to zero, the Government should signal tax relief to take effect in next year’s Budget. Letting employers and workers keep more of what they earn would put some heat back into the economy – ensuring unemployment does not climb too high too fast.

While some commentators have called for greater infrastructure spending, tax cuts would heat the economy up much faster. Infrastructure needs extensive planning and consultation, while tax cuts could take effect almost immediately.

Are lower taxes, less waste, and more transparency worth the price of a weekly coffee?

Finally this week, the Taxpayers' Union relies on your financial support. An easy way to support our work is to set up a monthly donation – even just $20 a month. That’s a cup of coffee a week.

Your support allows us to spend less time fundraising, and more time fighting for taxpayers like you.