Jim Anderton MP Tue Sep 28 1999

If the standard of the government's attack on the Alliance tax policy is continued throughout the campaign National's days are numbered, the Alliance says.

'Lockwood Smith's efforts to link taxes to the time of day is as silly as a two-bob watch,' Alliance Leader Jim Anderton said.

'What tax has got to do with the time of day is anybody's guess.

'Lockwood seems to have divided the number of hours worked a day by the marginal tax rate. This is not the average tax rate paid and is therefore very misleading.

'He has then mixed this up with the percentage of GDP the government takes in tax and compares this with the Alliance 39% and 47% figures. These are unrelated percentages.

'He is mixing up his figures to try to pretend that low income earners will be paying more tax, rather than actually getting $20 more a week under the policy.

'He then claims the Alliance will increase tax on all people earning over $9,500. He can't count, tax will only increase for those earning more than $60,000.

'He seems to be claiming that this is the difference between National's suggested tax policy and the Alliance's. But National cannot get support for their tax cuts now. What makes them think they will get support for them after the election?

'He tops it all off by claiming the economy grew by 37% since 1991. He ignores recent figures stating the economy has shrunk in three out of six quarters since Mrs Shipley became Prime Minister. She has been nothing short of a disaster,' Jim Anderton said.

ENDS

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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.

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