Spending To Attract Foreign Investment Dopey

ACT New Zealand Finance Spokesman Rodney Hide today said that the best way that the Government could attract investment into New Zealand would be to drop the top personal, and company, rate of tax to 20 cents in the dollar.

"Industry and Regional Development Minister Jim Anderton today announced that this year's budget will include wasting millions of taxpayers' dollars attracting foreign investment into New Zealand," Mr Hide said.

"The forecast surplus is sufficient to achieve that tax cut and still have $2 billion for the Labour Government to waste.

"Mr Anderton has spent five years as Minister proving that picking winners doesn't work. Instead of keeping taxes high and forking out money to the favoured few, the Government would be far better off giving tax relief to every business and every worker in the country.

"That would boost investment, boost growth, boost wages, and put more money into every New Zealander's back pocket," Mr Hide said.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>