Te Pāti Māori have today launched a transformative policy that redistribute wealth and end poverty in Aotearoa.

We will do this by:

• Removing GST from all kai and regulating the ability of supermarkets to hike prices.
• Removing income tax for low income whānau
• Increasing income tax on those earning more than $200,000
• Increasing the Corporate Tax Rate from 28% to 33%

We will also introduce:

• Net Wealth Tax
• Foreign Companies Tax
• Land Banking Tax
• Vacant House Tax

“Our tax system is doing exactly what it was designed to do: take money from the poor and give it to the rich” said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi.

“The richest 10% now own half the wealth in this country, while the poorest half owns a mere 2%. On top of that, average people in Aotearoa are paying 20.2% in tax while the wealthy are only pay 9.4%. It's time we rectified this imbalance” said Waititi.

“We've all seen the growing wealth inequality in our country. This Government’s inaction on housing and response to Covid-19 has seen a massive transfer of wealth from ordinary people the richest in our society. This is on top of the entrenched poverty that our people have been experiencing for generations” said co-leader Ngarewa-Packer.

“It is unacceptable that over 2 million people in Aotearoa earn less than $30 thousand dollars per year. Nearly 50% of our working population do not earn enough money to survive let alone thrive” Ngarewa-Packer said.

“Our vision is simple, yet profound: to shift the burden of tax from the poor to the wealthy, and to restore fairness and economic justice. We believe in an Aotearoa Hou where ordinary people don't have to subsidise the extravagant lifestyles of the rich” said Waititi.

“No one should go hungry while supermarkets are making record profits.

“No one should be homeless when there are enough vacant houses to house everybody.

“Whānau should not have to choose between paying their bills on time or taking their babies to the doctor” Waititi said.

“We will no longer accept any excuses from the two major parties who are fighting to keep people poor. We are putting our pou in the ground. Now is the time for radical change. Our tamariki are literally hungry for it” Ngarewa-Packer said.

“Under our plan 4.2 million people will be paying less tax in Aotearoa. That means more kai on the table. It means whānau being able to afford their own homes instead of being forced to pay off someone else’s mortgage in rent” said Waititi.

“It means reinvesting into those who need it the most. It’s time for the wealthy to start pulling their weight” Waititi said.

“We hear a lot of talk about unprecedented times, but we aren’t seeing any unprecedented solutions” said Ngarewa-Packer.

“We stand on the precipice of an Aotearoa Hou, a new era of Aotearoa, one where economic justice shouldn’t be just a dream, but a reality” Ngarewa-Packer said.

“We envision an Aotearoa Hou where every whānau is thriving. Our policy is the most transformative solution to the tax system ever to be proposed in Aotearoa. It will redistribute wealth, restore economic justice, and bring an end to poverty” Waititi said.

Full policy attached.

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