A strong vote for Labour on Saturday will spell the end of job growth and the beginning of a dramatic rise in job-killing business costs, Enterprise and Commerce Minister Max Bradford said today.

“Labour’s programme of action would be disasterous for businesses and the jobs they generate.

“Helen Clark’s Christmas present to New Zealanders would be a tax increase, and with Alliance leader Jim Anderton as her little helper, it would be the first of many increased charges and backdoor taxes.

“Labour, the Alliance and the Greens would renationalise ACC, adding millions of dollars to the costs of enterprises, most of whom employ less than five staff.

“The centre-left would cripple the ability of companies to take on more staff. Scrapping the Employment Contracts Act would hand control of workplaces to unions and see New Zealand return to the strike-filled days of the last Labour government.

“Increasing tariffs would see the cost of cars increase for low income families and the price of many supermarket goods rise.

“Labour’s so-called fresh start, is a false start that would drag New Zealand back at a time when we need to build on the strong 4 per cent growth provided by the National-led Government,” Mr Bradford 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>>