83 Comments
Feb 8, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

Let everyone see the levers that aren't being pulled - open says I.

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Feb 8, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

Yes, open the housing part to show that it’s all words and no action.

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Change the register of pecuniary interests to require an estimate of MPs capital gains to be disclosed. Let us all know how much our parliamentarians are making through inaction. That's the only way I see voters getting angry enough to demand change. There's a good write-up here: https://thenzwitness.substack.com/p/how-much-are-mps-profiting-from-the

Open it up to everyone, Bernard. Make them squirm.

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Feb 8, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

Please open to the Public Bernard. It is too important to ignore. We need to tax Wealth like rest of world apart from USA which is not a good example of anything! Why do people want everything from “ the government” but will not contribute. Greedy baby boomers? The only reason is the median voter not what is right to improve the GROSS inequality in NZ. Politics has failed to address the failings of neoliberal Capitalism over time. Inequality is built into the model. There are other models of which the Nordic countries are the examples8. Max Rashbrooke’s book should be required reading and even Christopher Luxon apparently suggested that his finance minister should read it.!

Patrick Medlicott

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Same here, open

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Feb 8, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

Open the list of levers, but is the list complete? For example, the NPS-UD requires, albeit rather softly, a quantified framework of who does and will need homes. Where are those analyses? MUD? HRC?

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Feb 8, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

It needs to be public. What is really needed is a consensus across parties that the current situation isn't at all sustainable or desirable and a bipartisan agreement made to solve it. The left and right have been in denial too long, do something about it before our best and most mobile people emigrate to somewhere with a more sane housing market

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When government fails over decades and there is nowhere to turn, mass civil disobedience like the Canada truckers may be the only way out.

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Feb 8, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

Open it.

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Feb 8, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

Please open your excellent work on this subject to all. With the dire need to turn the tide - your commentary is going to be valuable for the voters and public to decide whether their status quo needs to change.

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Hi Bernard - yes, please open this up. And interview Raf Manji while you are about it, so people can see some original thinking unfettered by the mental chains ('mind-forged manacles', as William Blake would have put it) about tax reform that constrain Ardern and the opposition parties.

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Feb 8, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

Open it up. People need to see this.

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Feb 8, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

Absolutely agree with opening this up.

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Feb 8, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

open to the public

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Feb 8, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

I caught the headlines about BPs massive profits and the UK govt’s call for a windfall tax. I certainly don’t defend large corporate profits but let’s face it, the UK govt and most others including our own govt don’t have a great track record of prudently spending our tax dollars. The lack of value for money for tax payer dollars, bloated govt, project budget overruns, wasted spending, pet projects is breath-taking. Hard to know which is worse, massive corporate profits or govt squandering tax payer dollars.

In a 1991 select committee Kerry Packer gave some very wise advice about tax and laws. Hard to argue with his point of view.

https://youtu.be/DBg7DnQjjcY (2mins)

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Feb 8, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

the OECD graph on housing affordability should be in the public domain and be an election issue

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