Gordon Campbell: On The Plans For Privatization

Hard to see how opening the door to greater demands for higher profits from state energy companies will result in reduced power prices – or that “Mum and Dad” investors will be the real beneficiaries of the plans for partial privatization announced yesterday by John Key.

Leave aside the ideological point that “Mum and Dad” investors already own the state assets concerned and are thus being asked to re-buy a stake in their own possessions. Let’s also avert our eyes from last year’s massive state bailout of such investors in the Hubbard empire.

The reality is that New Zealand investors have a habit of selling up quickly for short term profit – even when they are investing in companies with long term growth prospects. More>>

ALSO:

• Scoop Business - Key flags potential sell-down of $16.2B of SOEs
• Public Address Out-Link - OnPoint - Election 2011: GO!
• NZ Govt - Next steps in Govt plan to build faster growth - Key: Our Economic Challenge - Govt to play its part in building national savings - Goff should explain his own policy, stick to facts
• Labour - Taxpayers lose when public assets sold offshore - Flogging off power companies a bid to cling to power - Labour promotes fairness; National favours inequality - John Key’s privatisation plan a recipe for disaster - New lyrics, same song: Flog the silver - Selling family silver to foreign pixies won’t work
• Greens - Govt books show asset sales to pay for tax cuts - Key swings to the right with privatisation plans
• ACT - ACT Urges Bolder Approach For State Assets
• Maori Party - Thought must be given to Maori in state of the nation speech
• Jim Anderton - MP who fought asset sales says Nats have learnt nothing
• Solid Energy NZ - Solid Energy support for move to partial assets sales
• PSA - Government’s plan to cut public services will harm NZ
• Maritime Union - Workers urged to resist National's privatization plans
• CTU - Where are the jobs in Prime Minister’s ‘bright future’?
• NZ First - National Setting up State Asset Fire Sale
• Democrats for Social Credit - Key blindly continues on wrong track
• liberation out-link - A leftwing perspective on asset sales
• The Kiwi Party - National Adopts Copeland’s Policy On SOEs Almost!
• NZ Alliance Party - Alliance says National privatization plans will hurt NZers
• June Lyndon Hood - More and More Curious!
• TV3 Video - State asset sales - Key explains why - Key proposes partial sell-off of state assets - Asset sales key to Nat's economic plan

Goff Speech: Labour Plans Tax-Free Threshold

Today I want to talk about how Labour is going to grow an export economy that helps New Zealanders get ahead with higher incomes and better jobs.

The New Zealand I grew up in shaped a Kiwi dream: Kiwis had one of the highest living standards in the world...

New Zealand is still a good country to live in. I'm proud of it, and because I'm proud of it I want it to reach its potential. But for many the Kiwi dream is being lost. More>>

ALSO:

• Scoop Audio - PM's Presser: Tax Rates and Savings and Hair, Oh My!
• Labour - A Fair Deal for Everyone
• Labour - Govt attack on Labour's economic plan hypocritical - Labour promotes fairness; National favours inequality - Youth to benefit from Labour’s tax free zone
• Documentation - Action_Plan.pdf - Fair_Share.pdf - Tax_Free_Zone.pdf
• NZ Govt - Tell us where the money’s coming from Mr Goff
• NZ Govt - Dunne: Cullen dismissed Goff tax-free idea years ago - Dunne: 47c top tax rate needed to get Labour’s 10 bucks
• Maori Party - Goff too doom and gloom on Maori youth - Goff's silence on Treaty an insult to Ratana and Maori
• ACT - No Imagination from Phil Goff
• CTU - CTU endorses Labour tax and jobs proposals
• TV3 Video - Labour proposes $5000 'tax-free' zone
• Out-Link - Imperator Fish: Goff Rescues Woman But Fails To Stop Kittens From Dying Somewhere In The World
• Pundit.co.nz Out-Link - Phil Goff's New Zealand and the fear of 'second-term National' - Goff’s green smalls, and the new old Alliance - DomPost tries to kneecap Labour's tax policy