New Zealand Taxpayers' Union

We fight for Lower Taxes, Less Waste, More Accountability. Promoted by the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union, Level 4 117 Lambton Quay, Wellington

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

Meme of the day

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

Labour's numbers need checking 🫢

They prove why we need an independent parliamentary budget office. Not "just trust us".

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞?

The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on Labour to clarify whether it will rule out lifting foreign aid towards 0.7 percent of GNI within the next four years, after the party left the commitment out of its fiscal plan and lashed out publicly when questioned about the policy yesterday.

Assuming the increase was progressively phased in over the forecast period, the Taxpayers’ Union cost this pledge at $5.52 billion.

Taxpayers’ Union Head of Policy James Ross said:

“Labour has explicitly promised to increase foreign aid towards 0.7 percent of GNI. It’s not unreasonable for taxpayers to expect at least a rough timeline and some idea of what it will cost.”

“Labour cannot have it both ways. Either Hipkins should be able to rule out a foreign aid splurge that we’ve costed at $2,662-per-household over the next four years, or Labour is deliberately hiding billions of dollars of spending from its fiscal plan.”

“Mealy-mouthed fudging that ‘yes, we’ll do it, but we won’t tell you when’ won’t cut it. Labour’s back-of-the-beermat fiscal plan is full of holes, but a straight yes or no could at least plug one of them.”

The Taxpayers’ Union’s latest Bribe-O-Meter update can be found at: https://t.co/VpwWxLr1vh

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧

If Labour is so confident in Hall Chadwick’s review of its fiscal plan, and its own numbers, then Chris Hipkins should release the material behind it, says Taxpayers’ Union Policy Analyst Austin Ellingham-Banks:

“Labour is asking voters to trust its numbers without showing them the real workings. The plan available to the public doesn’t contain a proper year-by-year forecast showing how its promises affect the books, or enough detail for voters to properly scrutinise its claims.

“Yet select journalists have been given a fuller document, while Hall Chadwick was given revenue and expenditure estimates, ‘policy material’ and ‘underlying assumptions’ to review. Why can’t voters see them too?”

“If Hipkins stands by his numbers, he should have no problem letting Kiwis see the same material put in front of accountants and the media.”

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

Full release, here: https://t.co/fHmoC6UVba

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

The books are open and public, but Labour's calculations aren't.

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫’𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐝 𝐮𝐩

The Taxpayers’ Union says Labour’s fiscal plan is not credible, with billions of dollars of new spending promises left unanswered for.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“Labour has around $33 billion of new spending commitments to pay for, but even on its own numbers the sums do not come close. Its capital gains tax supposedly raises $2.8 billion, reversing the heated tobacco tax changes $365 million, and scrapping Investment Boost another $7.7 billion."

“It doesn’t take an accountant to see those numbers don’t add up, but maybe the Labour Party would benefit from hiring a few."

“Since being called out on the $24,358-per-household cost of its plans to raise spending to 33 percent of GDP, Labour has backed away from them. And after getting caught out announcing more than $5.5 billion of uncosted foreign aid spending, that promise has failed to get a mention in its fiscal plan too. You can’t help but wonder what else Labour is hoping nobody notices."

“Now we are meant to believe Labour can wind back planned savings, restore pay equity, spend tens of billions more, balance the books and bring debt down at the same time. Who on Earth is this meant to fool?”

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

𝐀𝐂𝐓'𝐬 𝐊𝐢𝐰𝐢𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐚 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐨 𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫

Responding to ACT's proposal to remove tax on KiwiSaver investment earnings, Taxpayers' Union Policy Analyst Austin Ellingham-Banks said:

“ACT is right to stop taxing KiwiSaver investment earnings. If the goal is to help people build bigger retirement savings, taxing the returns along the way makes little sense."

“Other parties want to force workers to save more, tax the returns, then recycle some of that money back through subsidies. ACT's approach is much cleaner, stopping punishing people for saving in the first place."

“But ACT could go further. Contributions and investment earnings should both be tax-free, with tax instead paid when the money is withdrawn in retirement."

“For a worker earning $60,000, that would mean an extra $997.50 going into KiwiSaver each year instead of being lost to tax. That rises to $1,737 on $80,000 and $2,310 on $100,000."

"That means more money goes in, more stays invested, and more compounds. Savers build bigger balances, while tax is still paid at the end."

“Super reform is coming whether politicians admit it or not. The more Kiwis can save for themselves, the better prepared they'll be. The tax system should be helping them do that, not penalising them.”

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

Full article, here: https://t.co/lw9BLJKmVu

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

Capping rates doesn't mean cutting services.

Christchurch just proved that.

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

Full release, here: https://t.co/PL2j5KHPhA

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

On October 16th we will be $300b in debt.

For all the tough talk about getting the books under control, we’re still on track to finish the 2020's without a single year of government debt going down.

It's time that changed!

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬’ 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭

The Taxpayers’ Union is calling out the Green Party’s claim that fares would cover the bulk of the operating costs of their proposed Auckland–Wellington overnight train, with the New Zealand Transport Agency reporting that the private share of public transport operating costs, including fares, was just 20.5 percent in 2023/24.

Taxpayers’ Union Head of Policy James Ross said:

“The Greens are asking taxpayers to stump up $1,980 per household for rail, but their claims fail the most basic sense check.”

“They’ve claimed fares would cover the bulk of operating costs, but NZTA says passengers and other private revenue covered barely a fifth of public transport running costs in 2024, and are expected to cover only 27 percent by 2027.”

“The Greens either need to explain how their wonder-train is going to be so much more financially successful than the rest of the country’s rail, or cut the election-season spin and admit this is going to be just another money-pit.”

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

Full release, here: https://t.co/CcCGrhhMEx

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

Labour wants taxation without representation.

Chris Hipkins wants to minimise the votes of the people he wants to tax (landlords, back owners, multi-property owners) through his capital gains tax.

This is constitutionally barbaric.

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

Full article, here: https://t.co/NrJKkuTc8X

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

Six people died. Ratepayers might be paying a golden handshake.

The Tauranga Council CEO resigned after a damning review into the Mount Maunganui landslide, but Council won’t say whether he’ll receive a payout.

After something this serious, ratepayers deserve transparency, not another hidden bill.

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

Full release, here: https://t.co/hGl7mGFJDW

[New Zealand Taxpayers' Union @TaxpayersUnion]

Better starts with honesty, not bribery.

Treasury’s projections put the cost for Labour's pay equity policy at $10.97 billion. Labour disputes that figure, but won’t provide their own until after the election...

Despite the fact Chris Hipkins said they would release a figure after PREFU.

Taxpayers deserve to know the cost before they cast their vote.