Media statement

For immediate release

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

Tax increases for most taxpayers from ACT

United Future’s revenue spokesman, Gordon Copeland, today claimed that a majority of taxpayers will pay more, rather than less, tax if ACT’s 20% flat tax proposal is adopted.

“According to information released with the Budget, New Zealand has 2.847 million taxpayers.

“Of those, some 500,000 New Zealanders currently pay tax at 15% and a further 1.661 million pay tax at 19.5 cents, i.e. a total of 2,161,000 taxpayers (or 76% of all taxpayers).

“So ACT’s goal of a 20% flat tax rate means more than three-quarters of taxpayers will get a tax increase under ACT’s policies.

“This is hardly a mainstream or credible tax policy,” said Mr Copeland.

ends

© Scoop Media

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>>