Govt Must Cut Taxes & Red Tape Now: Hide

Yet another hike in interest rates is further evidence that the Labour Government must cut taxes and slash compliance costs now, ACT New Zealand Leader Rodney Hide said today.

"The Government's failure to address the supply-side of our economy by cutting taxes, reducing red tape and relaxing our employment laws, has made doing business in New Zealand extremely difficult," Mr Hide said.

"These three factors make it tough to supply labour, resources and capital - all of which make for an growing economy. Instead, what we have is a constrained economy - resulting in higher prices.

"To stop the inflationary pressures brought on by Labour's shoddy economic management, the Reserve Bank has been forced to increase interest rates - for the sixth time this year.

"Michael Cullen is responsible for the latest rise in interest rates through his shonky mismanagement of the New Zealand economy.

"ACT offers a more simple solution to addressing rising prices: lower taxes, less red tape and more flexible labour laws.

"That would boost our economy, improve every Kiwi's standard of living, and ensure a freer and more prosperous New Zealand," 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>>