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Scoop's Election 05: Taxation Debate
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Cullen Prepares To Bring Out The Jandals For National's Petrol Tax Talk - National is at some stage in this campaign going to have to get to grips with the detail of their policy, Finance Minister Michael Cullen said today. He was commenting on contradictory statements from John Key over how much Nationals cynical undertaking to cut 5 cents off petrol excise for six months would cost. The confusion shows the promise as the back-off-the-envelope exercise it is, Dr Cullen said. See... Key all over the place again
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On The Back-Foot: Labour Holds Pre-Caucus Press Conferences - Labour Awakens: Finance Minister Michael Cullen held Monday a press conference to attempt to explain his view on why National's tax policy will not work. Later PM Helen Clark held a brief Pre-Caucus conference outside Premier House. Click on the links below to listen to the standup in .MP3 audio. See... Pics/Audio: Michael Cullen On National's Budget and Cullen's powerpoint presentation and Scoop Audio: PM's Pre-Caucus StandupALSO:
Easton Examines The Affordability Of National's Tax Cuts - I will not say much about the unsurprising fact that the party of the left concentrates its tax reductions on those with lower incomes and the party of the rights proposals are more generous to the rich. That is the nature of politics. There is a bigger difference between the two on the magnitude of the tax cuts. A few decades ago you might have been surprised to be told that the party of the left was the fiscal conservatives and the party of the right was the fiscal radicals. See... Easton: What The Tax Debate Is Really About
Audio and Video: Leaders And Finance Spokespeople Talk About The Economy - Michael Cullen, John Key, Winston Peters, Rodney Hide, Rod Donald, Gordon Copeland had 5 minutes each to answer the following questions on tax, government spending and free trade. See... Five Party Leaders Quizzed On ProgressALSO:
National's Tax Cut Likely To Increase Child Poverty In NZ - Maharey - "In its most cynical and mean-spirited policy to date National has announced it will help pay for its tax cuts by cancelling the $10 a week per child Family Support increase scheduled for April 2007," Steve Maharey said. The impact of this change would cut deep into the pockets of low income families. The incomes of 125,000 beneficiary families would be reduced by an average of $20 a week, pushing thousands of children below the poverty line. See... Child poverty is the price for National's tax cutsMORE:
National Party Tax Cut Policy Details Announced
- National Party Leader Don Brash has unveiled a plan to significantly restructure the tax system, providing fair tax relief and targeted family assistance worth about $3.9 billion by the third year. See... Brash - Getting ahead with National & Brash Speech: Getting ahead with National. Meanwhile
National Party Finance spokesman John Key says Michael Cullen and Helen Clark can no longer credibly claim National's plan for fair tax and family assistance will lead to an increase in interest rates. See... National's tax plan given the nod by expertsALSO:
Cullen Accuses National Of Targeting Tax Cuts To The Selfish - Finance Minister Michael Cullen today discovered the details of National's tax policy. Mr Cullen gave a short speech and interview outside his office this afternoon and predicted that services would have to be cut back to make way for National's tax. See... Scoop Audio: Cullen Reaction To National Tax CutsALSO:
National Outlines Fiscal Plan - National Party Finance spokesman John Key has outlined Nationals approach to tax and spending. Our fiscal strategy recognises the importance of tax as a significant driver in peoples willingness, desire and ability to work, to gain skills, to save and to take risks, Mr Key said at a financial briefing today. Nationals fair tax and family package will be phased in over the next three years, rising to an annual total of $3.9 billion in the 2008/09 year. Nationals fiscal strategy is focused on better quality public spending and a fair tax system that rewards hard work. See... Getting ahead with National ALSO:
Election Battle Between Targeted And Across The Board Tax Cuts - Scoop Report: Alastair Thompson writes that Finance Minister Michael Cullen unveiled the economic projections which will form the playing field for the economic debate of the election campaign, an economic playing field with little apparent room for immediate tax cuts as promised by the ACT and National Party. However as soon as the Pre-EFU briefing was over Dr Cullen nevertheless announced a $1.3 billion tax cut policy for middle income New Zealand families. See... Post Pre-EFU The Tax Cut Competition Heats UpALSO:
National to send out a million 'Taxathon' pamphlets The National Party is putting tax back on the election agenda over the next week with the delivery of nearly a million 'Taxathon' pamphlets to mailboxes throughout the country.
Will Tax Cuts Be Used to Complete 1990s 'Unfinished Business' ? - Acclaimed New Zealand documentary maker, Alister Barry, has been following Donald Brash's career for nearly two decades. Mr Barry considers Dr Brash wants massive tax cuts in order to create a "strategic deficit". Strategic deficit refers to a political technique used by President Ronald Reagan and his new right budget director, David Stockman to downsize the state. See... Don Brash and the Strategic Deficit
Time For Brash To Come Clean On Tax Policy: Labour - Finance Minister Michael Cullen today released a record of contradictory statements by National on when they will announce their tax policy. The only constant is that the date keeps evaporating further and further into the future. This is making the dance of the seven veils look like an unseemly dash for the shower, Dr Cullen said. See... For the recordALSO:
Brian Easton: The State Of The Nation
12 July: Respected economist Brian Easton, celebrated particularly for his work researching poverty levels, today gave a speech looking at the central election issue of whether promised substantial income tax cuts are affordable or indeed fiscally sustainable. See Brian Easton: The State Of The Nation
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