8 September 1999
PR96/99

ALLIANCE TARIFF POLICY A BURDEN ON PRODUCTIVE SECTOR

Federated Farmers has harshly criticised the Alliance's policy of putting a five percent tariff on all imports, excluding those from Australia.

President Alistair Polson described the policy as "simply a burden on the productive sector".

"An across the board tariff of five percent will only make our own exports more expensive, harder to sell and ultimately uncompetitive. Lower exports means less economic growth and fewer jobs."

"Mr Anderton thinks that his tariffs would fix our Current Account deficit; in reality it could make it worse."

"If every import, apart from those from Australia, becomes five percent dearer, then that will boost inflation, reduce New Zealanders' standard of living, and reduce economic growth," concluded Mr Polson.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

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>>