POLL : New poll - 2 weeks till the election CLOSED

[Blue Skies]

Are you suggesting that Super annuitants will support legislation as long as it only affects others adversely but not themselves?

If National were doing this to cut costs and felt it was the right thing to do surely as national superannuation makes up more than 50% of the welfare budget they would include it as that would save a further $2billion.

You had best be careful as it sounds like you are suggesting one class of beneficiary voting for National are effectively shi**ing on other beneficiaries that doesn't sound right.

I guess the 300 landlords of which you speak will create jobs and growth for NZ with the extra $2billion they keep. I know Chris Luxon will be happy. I wonder if any of the 300 landlords are receiving national superannuation as well?? That wouldn't seem right would it?

National like Labour & Act & other parties are all in a desperate race for power. Do you really think National are going to risk shafting one of their core constituencies Super annuitants by making them $17,000 worse off than if they voted for Labour, days out from the election ?

Why else do you think they have been carved out from other beneficiaries & given special treatment?

Landlords don't create new jobs or growth in any meaningful way. Houses still need maintenance etc regardless if owned by landlords or home owners.
I would far rather see billions invested in innovative & successful NZ companies esp those providing export receipts, & people growing their wealth through the sharemarket than the current obsession with property.

[Aaron]

National like Labour & Act & other parties are all in a desperate race for power. Do you really think National are going to risk shafting one of their core constituencies Super annuitants by making them $17,000 worse off than if they voted for Labour, days out from the election ?

Why else do you think they have been carved out from other beneficiaries & given special treatment?

Landlords don't create new jobs or growth in any meaningful way. Houses still need maintenance etc regardless if owned by landlords or home owners.
I would far rather see billions invested in innovative & successful NZ companies esp those providing export receipts, & people growing their wealth through the sharemarket than the current obsession with property.

So I guess it is just Chris Luxon and National sticking it to the bottom feeders with the support of 37% of the country. Policy we can really be proud of as a nation.

Mind you look at rents and house prices to income under Labour, with Chippy ruling out a capital gains tax you suspect he is happy sticking it to the bottom feeders as well or totally incompetent.

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/natio...1ba423595&ei=9

[moka]

Interesting policy from National

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politi...JHQNDFU5SY2TA/

Indexing benefits to inflation rather than wages I don't care either way but I was wondering if anyone knew why national superannuation was excluded from this proposed change? It just seems inconsistent to me.

777 or Blackcap might know???

Historically NZS has been indexed differently to benefits. NZS - indexed to average wage, benefits indexed to CPI. Wages historically have risen faster than inflation.

New Zealand Superannuation was introduced in 1977 by the Third National government and was renamed New Zealand Superannuation in 1993. The scheme was a universal (not means-tested) scheme that paid 80% of the average wage to married people over 60.

The NZS was initially linked to 80% of average wage levels, but in 1989, it was no longer linked to wage levels and instead was increased by the lesser of price and wage.

NZ Super is adjusted every year. Last year’s increase was linked to the average wage, at a time when earnings were increasing faster than inflation. This year, NZS has been increased in line with inflation to help combat rapidly rising living costs.

The after-tax NZ Super rate for couples (who both qualify) was based on 66% of the ‘average ordinary time wage’ after tax. For single people, the after-tax NZ superannuation rate is around 40% of that average wage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_in_New_Zealand

Benefits - prior to 2019, benefits, apart from superannuation, increased at the rate of CPI inflation (minus the inflation in tobacco and alcohol).

In 2019, the New Zealand government changed the annual adjustment of main benefits, indexing them to the average wage.
This was done to ensure that benefit rates would rise in line with wages, which historically have risen faster than inflation.
However, in 2021, inflation rose ahead of wages, causing the government to intervene and adjust benefits for inflation rather than wages.

In March 2023, the annual wage cost inflation remained at 4.3%.
In September 2023, the Labour party announced that they would retain fixing increases to benefits over time to increases in average wages.