Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Phil Goff is on the mark with his anti-tax avoidance policies - a clear choice for voters this year..

Labour leader Phil Goff addresses a crowd in H...Image via WikipediaPhil Goff is finally on the mark with his tax proposals - a tax free threshold that the more successful Australian economy has  had for some years. Labour plans a crackdown on lucrative tax loopholes left wide open by the National Government. Property speculators have used these for years to avoid tax. It plans to set up an Anti-Avoidance Tax Taskforce  to close the loopholes which National has never attempted to close for obvious reasons.

Billions of dollars have been estimated to have been lost by tax avoidance - or in plain language tax dodgers! A small percentage of this would compensate for any threshold increases. So forget any claims from John key that it would be unaffordable. Key has been borrowing about a billion dollars a month just to run New Zealand Inc.

Labour plans to exempt the first $5,000 of income, and would introduce a top tax rate over $120,000 per annum. A figure that has been peddled around for some time. A weekly sweetener of $10.00 per week which will have some appeal for superannuants, beneficiaries and the lower paid in the workforce.

The plan is neither irresponsible or badly costed. A similar plan in Labour's successful re-election as government in 1999 was to raise taxes over $60,000 to pay for more spending in the health and education sectors.

It has been National's borrowing policy during the last two years that is putting NZ into hock. Labour will have to find some alternative to these  Muldoon-like economic policies. Key lacks any credibility by criticising  Labour's early policies which may change to some degree  in the lead-up to the elections this year.

John Key will find out it will take more than a silly grin to impress voters this year. Change for the sake of change will not be a credible election winner! Some will say that we have had enough of Shonkism in government. So much for change and the Labour-lite label.

Its also a return to the future with National's privatisation policies. Voters will be given a clear choice - left to the future with Labour, or right down the gurgler with National.
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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Job cutbacks at Tertiary Education Commission in NZ described as shocking...

Association of Staff in Tertiary EducationImage via WikipediaThe number of jobs to be scrapped at the Tertiary Education Commission in New Zealand have been described as shocking by the Public Service  Association. The Government's policy is to cap public service jobs, not to slash  numbers. So what the hell is going on here?

A review carried out by private consultants Deloite,  who administer funding for tertiary education, have claimed the commission is hindered  by its structure and lack of strategic capability. It is after all a public service.

While it proposes to create 39 new jobs, it proposes to slash 80 of the existing jobs at the TEC.

The PSA national secretary, Brenda Pilott, says staff are shocked at the size of the cuts and fear their  inability to maintain the workload if the cuts go ahead, which they undoubtably will.

This may be a deliberate tactic to enable further cutbacks in future.

This Government has no credibility at all!


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Friday, January 14, 2011

NZ police have stopped the program to recover the 29 dead miners at the Pike River mine

GREYMOUTH, NEW ZEALAND - DECEMBER 02:  Prime M...Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThe NZ police have decided that the program to reclaim bodies of miners from the Pike River mine near Greymouth on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island will cease.

PM John key claims that cost has nothing to do with the decision to halt proceedings at Pike River to make the mine safe for  a recovery team. A GAG jet engine on loan from Queensland in Australia has been used for a number of weeks to try and get some stability in the mine which is full of toxic gases, which caused the four explosions in the mine and the death of all 29 miners and contractors working in the mine a couple of months ago.

However, John Key has promised the families of the dead men they would get their men home!

John Key will suffer the political fallout of this decision - it is his ultimate decision not the police who have been   financing the operation at Pike River.  His Government will lose the West Coast seat at the next elections. The fallout may well have a snowballing effect that will destroy this government.

It will now be the decision of the receivers of the failed company, Pike River Coal, to consider the future. They only have $10 million dollars left in the kitty now.

The families of the dead men are shattered at the decision to stop any future recovery. The mine will be sealed. Any future decision will be subject to the Royal Commission of Enquiry in coming months.
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Sunday, January 9, 2011

Youth rates are exploitation of young workers...

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - AUGUST 07:  Minister f...Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Calls for youth wage rubbish...

New Zealand's youth unemployment rate in the third quarter of last year was over 19%, prompting calls for the youth wage to be reinstated.


The Hospitality Association wants the youth wage reinstated.

"It follows figures showing New Zealand's youth unemployment rate in the third quarter of last year was over 19% - higher than the OECD average.

Chief Executive Bruce Robertson told Newstalk ZB's Susan Wood the industry needs more young people to make careers in hospitality.

"The loss of the youth rate has created disincentives for employers to take on people that simply aren't prepared for work," he said.

Bruce Robertson wants New Zealanders to move away from the philosophy that a person isn't successful unless they go to university. "

Youths rates have never helped create youth unemployment ever!

Youth rates are exploitation of the young. The fact of the matter is the National Government has failed New Zealand youth  -  the youth unemployment rate is 19 %. As usual they have absolutely no idea how to create employment opportunities. They are failures and must go in the general elections at the end of the years. John Key is a total failure too! his Employment Minister Paula Bennett has to go with him.
Acknowledgements:© 2011 NZCity, NewsTalkZB
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Saturday, January 1, 2011

This is still the silly season when everybody is out of routine...

John Key, leader of the New Zealand National PartyImage via WikipediaThis is still the silly season when everybody is out of routine...

It is so good not to have to look at John Key's stupid  lopsided grin, and his incompetent bunch of cabinet misfits. What a hopeless bunch of  non-achievers!

The National Party will lose the West Coast and Christchurch seats it holds. There is more to be made public about both natural  disasters in Christchurch and Pike River.

The ACT Party are dog tucker and the Maori Party is imploding. Peter Dunne is in the last year of his parliamentary career. And the spectre of Winston Peters, once the golden boy of the National Party, is rising to haunt National. They conveniently forget that 4.5% of the vote NZ First obtained at the last election, was wasted.

I only hope that Phil Goff has been practisng his public speaking and will be more convincing in the run-up to the elections.

http://huttriver.blog.co.uk
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