Reacting to the call for soda taxes from University of
Auckland Professor Boyd Swinburn, and University of Otago
Associate Professor, Nick Wilson, Taxpayers’ Union
Executive Director, Jordan Williams, says:
"Denmark’s
tax on saturated fat introduced in 2011 was an economic
disaster. The Danish tax was abandoned 15 months later and
did little, if anything, to reduce harmful consumption.
Worse, it was estimated to have cost 1,300 jobs. Why would
New Zealand want to repeat this mistake?"
"Taxing the Kiwi
tradition of a warm pie and can of cola won’t reduce
obesity. The overseas experience tells us that it just leads
to compensatory purchasing and brand switching."
“There
is no doubt that we have an obesity problem in New Zealand.
But health academics too often ignore the economic evidence
that taxing an inelastic product won’t affect the
consumption of those consuming too much. Tap water is free,
but people still choose to pay for bottled water. A tax on
soda won’t stop people from
over-indulging."
If you're using Scoop for work, your organisation needs to pay a small license fee with Scoop Pro. We think that's fair, because your organisation is benefiting from using our news resources. In return, we'll also give your team access to pro news tools and keep Scoop free for personal use, because public access to news is important!
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn. Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik... More
Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More
Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More
Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More
Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More