OnPoint: Spoonfuls of sugar
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Ulf Shoefisch's columm today is thinking along these lines:
New Zealand is at a crossroad. With the OECD and IMF unlikely to take the lead, it is time for domestic policymakers to start a serious debate about where this economy should be headed and how to best get there. This is not about whether tax cuts are preferable to more government spending. This is about developing a vision of what niche this economy should carve out for itself in the fast- moving global environment, considering its size, location, strengths and weaknesses.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4065636a1865.html
There is no way for NZ to tax cut ourselves into equality with Australia; it's time for National to drop the "tax cut" mantra (even Bill English has) and bring some constructive ideas to the debate out of which a political consensus may arise. Years of petty bickering among the Auckland Local Govt has been much to the detriment of that city; similarly it doesn't take much imagination to believe that public farce of "opposition for opposition's sake" and disunity that our Parliament serves up as PR isn't doing NZ any favours.
We know that the individual's involved are largely better than this. In the Committee rooms and Parliamentary corridors there is far less acrimony and a lot more useful consultation going on than most people suppose. If nothing else Clarke's most enduring legacy will be her working model for future govts of how to successfully manage the MMP environment.
Yet personally I'm deeply tired of the old legacy mentality that forever locks parties into a largely pointless, tribal, dysfunctional public confrontation with each other. We don't run our families and businesses like this, so why to we try to run our nation like according to such a flawed model?
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pointless, tribal, dysfunctional public confrontation with each other. We don't run our families and businesses like this,
Heh, some people have a sheltered life :)
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It could all be moot if the plan is gutted in 15 months, assuming National can get a governing coalition. This may just become another left/right "lets change it radically everytime we get power" situation like employment or ACC.
What, kind of like last time a Labour government set up a scheme that would stave off the financial concerns around retirement? Yeah, that's kind of a concern. We could live without another round of government welfare for the wealthy.
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Sue,
I remember the hell i went through sorting out private ACC cover when companies had to do that. 2 years later it got canned.
Kiwi save is going to be even more painful to implement.my main issue is this
isn't it good for people pay off their debt (huge mortgage or student loan) before they start saving. And is it wrong to penalize people who make that choice, by not giving them the tax credits or $1,000 or whatever shiny toys are floated by the government.
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