“Suggestions of a tax on home ownership is right up there with the best of the half baked ideas I have seen advanced by highly paid committees during my years as a politician”, said New Zealand First Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters today.

Mr Peters was responding to comments contained in a provisional discussion paper released by the Committees Chair, Rob Mcleod in which a range of taxation changes are proposed.

Any taxation review team, if the taxpayers must fund one at all, should be concentrating their efforts on providing real incentives for research and development and exports to ensure our businesses remain internationally competitive and employment opportunities are enhanced for us and that wage and salary earners are encouraged to save.

“These are the issues of importance to our taxation requirements for the future, not some half baked crazy ideas of extracting an unjust tax from those who have struggled for years to put together sufficient to purchase their own home..

I only hope that the release of this document at this time does not divert attention away from these important issues, and that the public debate which will no doubt ensue from such a controversial non-starter as tax on homes, is not a smoke screen for something more sinister”, said Mr Peters.

“New Zealand First remains implacably opposed to any increases in general taxation, irrespective of whichever creative or convoluted methodology is used to bring them about
and will vigorously resist any such moves on behalf of taxpayers”, concluded Mr Peters.

ENDS

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