A government committed to fairness and responsible law-making should not allow two bills recently drawn from the Member’s Ballot to sink without debate, Federated Farmers says.

"At the very least the Regulatory Standards Bill and the Income Tax (Adjustment of Taxable Income Ranges) Amendment Bill deserve to go to select committee for examination and public submissions," Federated Farmers President Andrew Hoggard said.

The Regulatory Standards Bill would require any proposed legislation to be subject to clear analysis of the problem the legislation is aimed at solving, a thorough cost-benefit analysis of expected outcomes and adequate consultation with affected parties.

"Quite frankly with such requirements, the Essential Freshwater legislation and the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill - to name just two recent examples - would not have got through as written," Andrew said.

"BusinessNZ has made the point that small and medium businesses are drowning in over-regulation. The sorts of tests built into the proposed Regulatory Standards Bill should see impractical and unnecessary legislative proposals killed off."

Simon Bridges’ Income Tax Amendment Bill would require tax thresholds to be adjusted every three years in line with the cost of living, with Treasury advising on the proper threshold adjustment.

"It would put a halt to New Zealanders moving into higher tax brackets even when their income isn’t keeping up with the rising cost of living, putting an end to inflation being an annual tax increase by stealth.

"This is about fairness, pure and simple. If a government wants to argue it needs higher tax revenue then let it be open with the electorate about that, not achieve it via the tax creep we now have," Andrew said.

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