If National wins ...

[fungus pudding]

That's not right, for years I didn't record much she'd written because it was fairly anti-Labour. But her attitude seemed to change before the elections.

Bill says goodbye from the PM's office. She's a 'great little country' now after National has run the ship for nine years. Bill didn't mention the mountain of debt and overstretched resources he's left behind for someone else to tidy up.

http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politi...-s-office.html

Even Labour have openly admitted the country is in great shape financally.

[dobby41]

Well watch carefully the mountain of debt. Your beloved Labour have already stated they will not be paying it down as fast as National was going to. The amount they plan to spend appears unlimited. Joyce could prove to be right in the end.

They did state that but the difference was marginal.
Joyce could also be wrong again.
I still don't get why people bag Labour as big spenders when they left the country, after 9 years, is a great shape. If it wasn't for Labours careful financial management National would not have had the balance sheet to borrow against in the last 9 years.

[iceman]

Well watch carefully the mountain of debt. Your beloved Labour have already stated they will not be paying it down as fast as National was going to. The amount they plan to spend appears unlimited. Joyce could prove to be right in the end.

Central and local Governments may get a bit of spare cash from sugar tax and petrol tax and we're only in week one !! http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11938339

[777]

Yes sugar tax will raise revenue but won't reduce the amount of sugar that is consumed. The uneducated will just spend the extra required to consume and then bleat poverty(the in word) again.

[iceman]

Yes sugar tax will raise revenue but won't reduce the amount of sugar that is consumed. The uneducated will just spend the extra required to consume and then bleat poverty(the in word) again.

Of course it won't. It never has where it has been introduced. Just taxing the poor, but they can afford it now with the increase in minimum wage and no doubt upcoming increases in benefits.

[elZorro]

Of course it won't. It never has where it has been introduced. Just taxing the poor, but they can afford it now with the increase in minimum wage and no doubt upcoming increases in benefits.

Increased tarrifs seemed to work on smokers, by and large. It has caused dairies to be burglary targets, though.

I would like to see the argument that the NZ economy is in better shape than Labour left it in, all things being considered. Especially if you average the situations over 9 years. One govt paid off historical crown debt, the other one borrowed all that back plus a lot more. One govt sacked a lot of public sector staff and so dropped the tax take for many years, stagnating the economy. The same govt 'fixed' that with lax immigration policy. But it was a temporary fix that cannot, and should not, be sustained.

[iceman]

Increased tarrifs seemed to work on smokers, by and large. It has caused dairies to be burglary targets, though.

I would like to see the argument that the NZ economy is in better shape than Labour left it in, all things being considered. Especially if you average the situations over 9 years. One govt paid off historical crown debt, the other one borrowed all that back plus a lot more. One govt sacked a lot of public sector staff and so dropped the tax take for many years, stagnating the economy. The same govt 'fixed' that with lax immigration policy. But it was a temporary fix that cannot, and should not, be sustained.

Yes smoking has definitely reduced, no doubt at least partly due to a combination of increased prices and less social acceptance. Sadly though, many of the poorest people in society still smoke and are heavily penalised for it. Some say this results in increased child poverty ! Richard Prebble says he often takes bags of goodies to families in need in his neighbourhood. He claims almost all the parents in this situation smoke and he reckons child poverty can be all but eliminated by reducing prices of cigarettes :-) It would be interesting to see a good study of this relationship. Sugar tax could easily do the same. So Labour wants to punish the poor ?

[elZorro]

Yes smoking has definitely reduced, no doubt at least partly due to a combination of increased prices and less social acceptance. Sadly though, many of the poorest people in society still smoke and are heavily penalised for it. Some say this results in increased child poverty ! Richard Prebble says he often takes bags of goodies to families in need in his neighbourhood. He claims almost all the parents in this situation smoke and he reckons child poverty can be all but eliminated by reducing prices of cigarettes :-) It would be interesting to see a good study of this relationship. Sugar tax could easily do the same. So Labour wants to punish the poor ?

I'm not that keen on Prebble's advice. The price disincentive will make its mark over the years, and hopefully there are smaller proportions of youths taking up smoking now. Working on the sugar issue will be much harder.


Labour moves to ban foreign buyers bidding on existing homes. Virtually no issues about that, but they have to work fast before the TPP-II talks.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pol...ee-trade-clash

[dobby41]

Labour moves to ban foreign buyers bidding on existing homes. Virtually no issues about that, but they have to work fast before the TPP-II talks.

I heard Jacinda on the radio call it TPP eleven. Had a laugh at that.

There is a line of thinking that TPP2 would allow the act to change anyway but why not get it done now - so long as it isn't shonky rushed legislation.

[fungus pudding]

I'm not that keen on Prebble's advice. The price disincentive will make its mark over the years, and hopefully there are smaller proportions of youths taking up smoking now. Working on the sugar issue will be much harder.

Prebble didn't give any advice. He simply made an observation.