Woo hoo! It's Friday. Here's a 3 minute brain dump of the current tax argument:
Dr Michael Cullen today criticised John Key for announcing a reduction in KiwiSaver contribution amounts before the election. "What an idiot - Labour promise not to announce any policy reversals until after they are elected. That's the kind of mature and experienced management you can expect from this government."
Meanwhile, the Greens expressed alarm that new water regulations would ban a decent shower. "Our tax policy is based on taxing the bads. Plans to put water meters on every home to rake in millions of dollars from residential water usage may come to little if people start saving water. Although the thought of so many people being denied a decent shower by exercising the power of the state really gets me excited" said Jeanette Fitzsimons, remaining divided on the benefits of the scheme.
The Jim Anderton Party launched a tax policy to fund dental treatment. Finally, a
party leader that understands the pressing needs of New Zealanders.
And now a full week after the world wide financial crisis hit the front page, Labour have responded with a revised tax policy. They just haven't explained it to the voters. For details, please read the second paragraph. And then consider these two words: Retrospective Legislation.
So, apart from the world wide financial crisis, the Reserve Bank laughing (on behalf of mortgaged Kiwis) in the face of adversity and refusing to drop the interest rates, the Labour Party having to face the fairly quiet music (not more than a hum really) over the deplorable state of the country's accounts, and National getting stick for winding back some of the cuts because of the deplorable state of accounts, and the left are all hand wringing over the fact that violent criminals might stay in jail too long if they have the bad luck to kill or maim multiple times, what else is new?
Dr Michael Cullen today criticised John Key for announcing a reduction in KiwiSaver contribution amounts before the election. "What an idiot - Labour promise not to announce any policy reversals until after they are elected. That's the kind of mature and experienced management you can expect from this government."
Meanwhile, the Greens expressed alarm that new water regulations would ban a decent shower. "Our tax policy is based on taxing the bads. Plans to put water meters on every home to rake in millions of dollars from residential water usage may come to little if people start saving water. Although the thought of so many people being denied a decent shower by exercising the power of the state really gets me excited" said Jeanette Fitzsimons, remaining divided on the benefits of the scheme.
The Jim Anderton Party launched a tax policy to fund dental treatment. Finally, a
party leader that understands the pressing needs of New Zealanders.
And now a full week after the world wide financial crisis hit the front page, Labour have responded with a revised tax policy. They just haven't explained it to the voters. For details, please read the second paragraph. And then consider these two words: Retrospective Legislation.
So, apart from the world wide financial crisis, the Reserve Bank laughing (on behalf of mortgaged Kiwis) in the face of adversity and refusing to drop the interest rates, the Labour Party having to face the fairly quiet music (not more than a hum really) over the deplorable state of the country's accounts, and National getting stick for winding back some of the cuts because of the deplorable state of accounts, and the left are all hand wringing over the fact that violent criminals might stay in jail too long if they have the bad luck to kill or maim multiple times, what else is new?
Evening All
ReplyDeleteAdolf's on cooking duties tonight. Here's the deal.
Big pan with hot oil. Eight big chicken drumsticks. Brown quickly and turn heat down. Spread one large onion coarse chopped over the chikadee legs. Ditto two of those bloody big mushrooms. Plenty of salt and pepper, a touch of chilli powder, and add half a bottle of chardonnay.
Put the lid on and go away blogging with the other half of the bottle.
Steam one big kumara and three decent spuds. Mash thes with a bit of butter and lots of cracked pepper.
Liberate one small packet of frozen peas and corn.
Put the lid on the chook pan and go away blogging with the other half of the bottle.
Come back and open a bottle of shiraz.
By now the onion, mushroom and wine has reduced down to the best sauce you could find in Provence.
Have a great feed and fall into bed.
Sounds bloody excellent.
ReplyDeleteRight, that does it. I'm off to buy some Shiraz. Or Merlot.
Once upon a time in a village, a man appeared and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10 each. The villagers, seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them. The man bought thousands at $10 and as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their efforts. So the man announced that he would now up the price and buy at $20. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again.
ReplyDeleteSoon the supply diminished even further so the offer increased to $25 each and the supply of monkeys became so scarce that it was an effort to even see a monkey, let alone catch it! The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now buy on his behalf.
In the man's absence, the assistant told the villagers. "Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will sell them to you at $35 and when the man returns from the city, you can sell them back to him for $50 each."
So villagers rounded up all their savings, and bought all the monkeys from the assistant. They then sat back and waited for the man to return from the city. However, they never saw the man, nor his assistant, ever again... only monkeys everywhere!
Welcome to the Stock market.
Here endth the lesson!
ReplyDeleteThat must mean its time for drinks.
ReplyDeleteEvenign everyone.
ReplyDeleteAnyone watching the PPBs on Tv1 now.
Uncle Helen was just on, now its John Boy's turn.
Been distracted with dinner and wine. The Merlot run was successful.
ReplyDeleteAha, so much for shares Zen ... & Adolf, sorry, but it doesn't compare with the succulent pork chop, roast veg & apple sauce all served by a lovely daughter. Chaqu'un a son gout of course ... & despite what the obesity epidemic doomologists' may say, pork without fat just aint pork.
ReplyDeleteEvening all.
Whilst there is a small chance you can catch obesity from a scrumptious pork chop dinner, I reckon there is a bigger chance of catching a mental illness if you listen to an obesity epidemic doomologist.
ReplyDeleteThey have the condition known as "fat heads"
Evening back Mojo.
pork fingers for me
ReplyDeleteso what do we all think of Winnie
Roar Prawn says he's not in the clear
I wonder what did happen to those other 'scandals' brewing
Compensated for by the lashings of passionfruit & melon flavours & just sufficient acidity of the sauv blanc ... & dark chocolate.
ReplyDelete& I must say I am impressed by your mental fecundity, Zen ... nine of the last ten posts ... your prolificacy is boundless!
Evening all, still fearing change here. The new template is making me nervous.
ReplyDeleteManaged to capture a couple of those little drummies for cold chicken salad lunch tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteSadly, that's mainly my cut and paste and link skills on display. Hopefully, I'll get around to writing a decent post soon.
ReplyDeleteBarnsley, did you catch up on my reply last week (after I finally got to the computer)?
ReplyDeleteBut hey, the template hasn't changed much for a whole week. It's getting old.
Adolf, drop me around some of that Chickem like you do with those Oranges.
ReplyDeleteHey all, and good evening.
ReplyDeleteI think Cullen has a real cheek making any kind of statement at all. This is the guy who overspent on buying the train set back and who was piloting the 'finance' ship which is now shown to be in the red.
It's like he's the captain of the ship and he has foundered said ship on the rocks. Key comes along and offers a way to re-float it and get things back on track and Cullen is calling *him* an idiot?
Hey Fletch. Fair point indeed.
ReplyDeleteNow as long as they both don't waste time arguing how the deck chairs should be arranged on the good ship NZ Titanic, we might get somewhere.
About 5 weeks until the election. I wonder if Bollard drops the interest rates if that will help Labour more than National? Some sort of weird incumbent advantage.
Looking forward to ACT rocking both these tax packages on Sunday.
Of course that's a fair point Fletch. But National and Key have got to sell that and convince the public of it. I'm sensing they are having trouble doing that.
ReplyDeleteTwo words: Pitch Black.
ReplyDeleteWell, my supper snack was two toasted cheese, bacon and egg sandwiches. Mmmm.
ReplyDeleteAre we doing puns tonight?
I couldn't quite remember how to throw a boomerang, but eventually it came back to me.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting piece on the credit crisis and Canada's conservative government.
ReplyDelete"In what is the first credit-crunch election in a big Western country, Mr Harper’s ejection would set a dispiriting precedent that panic plays better politically than prudence."
Well hopefully it doesn't turn out as such, but typically John Key seems to be providing the most prudent response to the credit crisis here in NZ. Lucky he's not the incumbent then.