Celebrate – chewing gum tax cuts back on for 2012
June 29th, 2007 at 10:28 am by David FarrarYay, let there be dancing and celebration in the streets. Dr Cullen will deliver tax cuts – but only in 2012 if you re-elect him for a 4th and 5th term.
In 2005 Dr Cullen promised to inflation index tax brackets every three years, starting in 2008. They then broke this election year promise this year by cancelling the tax cuts, because people complained they were not big enough.
Bur Treasury papers show Dr Cullen told Cabinet that maybe we could have tax cuts after 2011, but they would probably have to be smaller than even the chewing gum tax cuts he promised in 2005.
So the miserly promised tax cuts for 2008 are to be not only delayed at least four years, but also made even smaller. And all over a backdrop of around the second largest fiscal suurplus in the world.
I mean what can one say. Staggering.
No tag for this post.
June 30th, 2007 at 7:19 am
heard of Working for families,
Vote:heard of Kiwisaver.
heard of national losing an election after giving tax cuts in 1999
Staggering
June 30th, 2007 at 7:23 am
Selma,
Heard of 20Bil being wasted every year on a bloated state service?
Heard of how well all other countries do when they provide tax cuts?
Heard of Labour only winning the last election by cheating when they wouldn’t give tax cuts?
Staggering
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 7:24 am
Heard of interest free student loans
Vote:heard of 20 hours free childcare
heard of cuts in asset testing of elderly
heard of winning 4 in row
too staggering for words
June 30th, 2007 at 7:39 am
Selma
Vote:Heard of families that cannot afford their power bill
under a labour government?
People beaten (tortured) to death in custody? (Liam Ashley)
under a Labour government?
Old people kicked off waiting lists to suffer and die
(I have over 4000 names for you)
The only thing this labour government has a right to take credit for
and granted it is a big “achievement” is the fact that they have been able to take a once proud police force and expand the influence of a few rotten apples to bring them all into disrepute.
June 30th, 2007 at 7:45 am
Selma,
Heard Michael Cullen admit in the last election that after six years of the best eco conditions in a generation the average person is now no better off?
Heard that the hospital waiting list under Labour has more than doubled (and costs $4bil a year more)
Heard that people living in severe hardship under Labour has increased by 27%?
staggering
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 8:20 am
Selma –
Heard that the 20 hours free childcare isn’t free?
Heard that interest free loans in a consumer debt driven society leads to greater overall debt levels?
Heard that Labour hasn’t been able to implement any of the promises they won the election on for the costs they said they could?
Not staggering – predicted.
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 8:45 am
Piss off Selma
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 9:08 am
Cullen’s ‘tax cuts’ are not going to happen because he won’t be in govt will he? Nine years is more than enough, even for hardened ‘lefties’.
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 9:09 am
Selma parroted “heard of 20 hours free childcare”
Selma dear – you may be a defender of the government despite all facts and commonsense, but even you would have to admit that Labour has made a HUGE mess of this. Maharey can be as smarmy as he likes in the house (see this from Thursday)……
“Katherine Rich: When the first payment for 20 free hours is due to be direct-credited into accounts on Monday, why does he keep up the pretence that he has no idea how many centres have opted in, or how many kids are actually going to receive 20 free hours; does he seriously think this House believes that the Ministry of Education can undertake such a complicated financial transaction without having any idea of the numbers?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY: I have never kept up such a pretence. The fact of life is that I have been saying to the member for some time that she should just relax. The ministry has done a great job of administering this policy. The sector has responded very well to it. We have always planned for that the announcement will be on Monday. That is what we have always planned, and that is what we will do, so I ask the member just to relax and to get the news when it is due.”
…. but there’s no escaping the fact that this policy has been woefully executed, not by the Ministry, but by the government. What seemed like a good idea on the election trail has become a political albatross, simply because Labour was not prepared to either fund ECE services adequately (would you take a 40% pay cut?), or do the honest thing and call it 20 Hours Subsidised ECE, which would have been welcomed by parents and the ECE sector.
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 9:39 am
I mean what can one say
I’m sure you’ll manage to think of something
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 10:12 am
40 hours childcare should be free!
Paid for by an extra 1% tax on those earning over $60,000.
Oh yes I remember National gave tax cuts and lost in 1999. Labour promised tax increases and won. and won. and won.
Vote:beat that
June 30th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Selma,
Helen has lost already.
Cullen has helped her to this outcome.
“Unintended outcomes” is the consequence of so many of their genuine efforts.
The Labour caucus was no help. I wonder why??
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 10:58 am
[RING RING]
Hello?
Selma, its reality calling for you.
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 11:05 am
Selma,
Heard of Opposition, that’s what Labour will be at the end of next year…..
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 11:27 am
9 years in government and selma lists middle class welfarisim, the purchase of the student vote with a dangerous economic principal and lies about free childcare as their achievements!!! I cant even bother listing their multitude of failures…its actually quite depressing….staggering no…pathetic yes
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 11:33 am
“40 hours childcare should be free!”
….”Paid for by an extra 1% tax on those earning over $60,000.”
Selma…look inside a thing called a “dictionary” and find something called a “contradiction” and read what it says….
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Selma
Vote:Have you thought of doing your own blog – you should have a chat to James Sleep. You`d get on well. We would laugh at you too.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Selma and Sleep are joined at the feminazi hip .Oh my, that d4j is a scary man, let me tear his face to shreads with my long fingerclaws said the georgey thingy .
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Is there anything Labour does that Selma won’t defend?
Vote:G
June 30th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
Selma
National promised tax cuts in 1990 and won and won and won … so what!
You’re living off the fat of Labour’s prior successes as if somehow they’ll magically wipe out the stain of:
* the $800k pledge card stolen from the taxpayers
* The Philip Field fiasco
* The 20 hours free (but with a fee) child care
* The on again off again chewing gum tax cuts (and you think taxes are still too low!!)
* Woeful liberalism infesting parole board and Correction leading to needless deaths of innocents (Graham Burton) or Liam Ashley
* Painter/Speeder/Doone gates and the PMs economy with the truth on all 3 occasions
* The anti smacking fiasco
* Lengthening waiting lists despite $10 billion in new funding
The list goes on and on …oh and then there’s the current average poll gap of what was it .. over 20% from memory.
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
David
Just out of curiosity, who has the largest fiscal surplus? I have seen the ‘second-largest’ reference a few times, and am interested to know who nudged us out of top spot.
Thanks
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
bobux:
The largest fiscal surplus per capita must be that of Norway.
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
You people mock Selma. You should be very very afraid, as I am. The public service in our country is contaminated with huge numbers of cretins like Selma. Their animal cunning is legendary. They will cheat or do anything to get their beloved barren harridans back in power. They are numerous. Like a plague. And there is a very dim future for our country while they hold sway. They stuffed up the 20 free hours childcare thing as their collective business acumen equals that of television’s “Al Bundy”. One cabinet minister managed a shoe shop. That is their total managerial experience in the private sector.
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Heard how Selma has been trolling this blog for months?
Heard how the same old people keep rising to the same old bait?
Heard how the net result is a comments section which made me laugh my ass off?
Staggering.
lol
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Norway has the biggest surplus. They have oil!
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Tauheinotts said “They stuffed up the 20 free hours childcare thing as their collective business acumen equals that of television’s “Al Bundy”.”
From my perspective, as the owner of an ECE service, the Ministry of Education wallahs that we have been dealing with have been great. Given a sow’s ear by their political masters, they’ve tried hard to fashion a silk purse, and it’s NOT because of lack of effort on their part that 20Free is in the mess it’s in. The blame for this fiasco rests squarely on the shoulders of Clark, Mallard, Maharey & Cullen, for their dogmatic refusal to admit that 20Free was nothing more than a campaign slogan, and at best, they could deliver 20HighlySubsidised, which, as I said earlier in this thread, would have been met with approval by parents and the ECE sector alike.
However, you are right about the bloated public service – it’s New Zealand’s TRUE obesity epidemic!!
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
Cullen is the most arrogant and despicable Labour politician ever known to me.
He polarises/antagonises people so much and is the main reason why the socialists will be defeated at the polls next year.
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Selma, those on over 60K already face a higher marginal rate than those under 60K. Why should I vote for a party that wants to increase my tax rate by additional 1% to pay for childcare for other people’s children? Why don’t people that have children pay for this themselves? I already contribute at 39% to support everyone else’s children. Perhaps its time for some people to realise that having children requires an element of planning and sacrifice on their part, rather than expecting others to rally round to keep them in their pre-parental lifestyle. What confidence do I have that an extra 1% tax on my hard-earned income will be any more responsibly allocated than the present 39% that I contribute to other people’s healthcare, education and general welfare? If the only answer from the present administration and its supporters is that they simply need more money from earners, how much will be enough? Why not cut the tax on those people who have children if they don’t have enough take-home to pay for those children? Even if my tax rate stayed at 39%, surely that would be a preferable solution for the parents concerned?
Vote:June 30th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
isn’t it a bit rich to complain about labour not living up to a promie of 20 hrs fre child care when you would presumably offer 0 hrs free child care?
That is like saying – if you like free child care – hey they aren’t three times as good as us they are only twice as good as us!
or if your a libiterian – “hey they should live up to their promise to do somthing we don’t want them to do!”
Also talking about a ‘chewing gum tax cut’ just dumbs down the debate. What is sad is that that seems to be the strategy of some.
Vote:July 1st, 2007 at 8:50 am
Cullen does not do tax cuts, but Mallard does. Cullen is yesterdays man.
Vote: