18 May 2005

Alternative Budget Of the People, Not From the People

Libertarianz proclaimed the release of their own 2005 budget today - not Cullen's high tax, low-growth electioneering monstrosity due tomorrow, but the 2005 Libertarianz Alternative Budget.

"Elections are an advance auction of stolen goods," says Libertarianz Finance Spokesman Nik Haden, "and Cullen's Budget is the auction catalogue. Don't buy it!"

The Libertarianz Budget he says is an attempt to stop the theft and to give back the stolen goods.

It allows people to keep as much of their own money as possible rather than presuming that the Government knows best how to spend it. It works in people's best interests rather than making people work in the Government's best interests.
All taxation is reduced to zero over five years. Not only that, but over that period:

a.. Taxes would be reduced to a flat rate of 15%, and GST would be completely dumped. The first $10,000 of income would be tax free. Says Haden, "there's no reason Cullen couldn't adopt this measure himself - he has surplus enough to pay for it, and it would do more than anything else to help those he claims as his constituency: the poor.
b.. All government debt, currently a massive 23% of GDP, would be fully paid off by 2009.
c.. The country's defence assets would be quadrupled.
d.. The government's liabilities to pensioners would be entirely pre-funded and all ongoing financial superannuation obligations wiped clean.
How could Libertarianz achieve all this in just five years? "Easy," say Haden, "through a 'little' thing called freedom."

Libertarianz says that their budget demonstrates the effect on the economy when people are free. To protect individual freedom, Libertarianz would reduce the State's involvement in all spheres of life except those that protect individuals and their property from the use of force. People would then be free to direct their own lives, and to take responsibility for their own decisions.

The only legitimate functions of government, says Libertarianz, are police, law and order, justice, and defence - only these, says Libertarianz, are protective, and not destructive, of rights. Consistent with these principles, the Libertarianz 2005 budget is based on the following approaches:

a.. Sale or distribution of all State assets within five years, except those related to police, law and order, justice, and defence. This includes all assets related to health and education.

b.. Ending immediately all expenditures not related to police, law and order, justice, and defence. This includes health, education, and, above all, social welfare.

c.. Recognising liabilities created by past governments, and either paying these off or fully pre-funding them within five years:

a.. Superannuation and healthcare to those aged 55+ for their remaining lives;

b.. The DPB to those with children currently aged 0-3 until those children turn 4;

c.. Disability and invalid benefits to current legitimate recipients for 6 years. Excluded from all superannuation provisions are bureaucrats and MPs. The Government Superannuation Fund will only recognise existing pensioners, so bureaucrats and MPs will have to go hungry. Such is the nature of justice.

This budget also introduces the concept of voluntary funding of government. The flat tax of 15% is reduced to zero after year 5, when all the government's liabilities have been paid and the defence force adequately equipped.

Libertarianz have worked out that the amount required to fund the government's legitimate activities would only amount to an average of $20 per week, per person aged 15+. That works out to just 1.5% of GDP, compared to the Government's current revenues of 41% of GDP. This, they say, is all that is required to fund the government!

"It's an amount commensurate with what you might pay for you insurance," says Haden, "and you'd be paying it for the same reason."

Libertarianz propose to phase this voluntary funding in by introducing and advertising an annual revenue target over the five year transitional period.

The Libertarianz budget is available now at the new-look Libertarianz website, http://www.lp.org.nz

"It's Enough to Make You Vote Libertarianz!"

ENDS

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