Labour's refusal to rule out land tax will scare struggling New Zealanders

5 SEPTEMBER 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Labour leader’s refusal to rule out introducing a land tax in the first term of a Labour-led Government will scare New Zealanders struggling to pay the monthly bills, says the Taxpayers' Union. Ms Ardern refused to rule out a tax when asked repeatedly this morning on Radio NZ’s Morning Report.

Jordan Williams, Executive Director, says, “This punching in the dark on taxes, leaving it all to some unknown panel of political sock puppets, isn’t good enough. It creates financial uncertainty for the very New Zealanders who can least afford it.”

“A land tax is scary for pensioners, who already struggle to pay exorbitant rates. It's alarming for renters, whose rent will go up as landlords pass on the costs of a land tax."

“A land tax is particularly scary for Māori. A lot of Māori land holdings are uneconomic, and a land tax would be handing iwi enormous liabilities."

“We're open to changing the mix of New Zealand's tax system. But Labour needs to commit to reducing other taxes to make up for their new tax revenue. With the Crown books in surplus, it is unconscionable for Labour to want to dig even deeper into householders' pockets."

A transcript of the Radio NZ interview is available here.

ENDS

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