ACT unveils rural platform at Fieldays
ACT unveils rural platform at Fieldays
ACT Leader David Seymour will present ACT’s rural platform for the 2017 election at Fieldays today.
“ACT has traditionally been received well by rural New Zealanders, and this should remain the case in 2017,” says Mr Seymour. “We’re the only party standing up for the concerns of rural people and businesses.”
Tax cuts
ACT will cut
personal tax rates for every bracket and ensure no-one pays
more than a 25 per cent tax rate. We’ll also make the
Government cut company tax from 28 per cent (one of the
highest rates in the OECD) to 25 cent, with a commitment to
cut it further in the long term. This will allow rural
businesses to keep more money on the staff and equipment
needed to grow.
Replacing the RMA
We
understand the frustrations caused by the Resource
Management Act. Even small-scale consents cost too much in
fees and take too long in processing and consultation.
National has actually made things worse by adding onerous
and undemocratic new iwi participation requirements. ACT
would replace the entire RMA with land use law that values
property rights, democracy, and economic
development.
Access to migrant
workers
ACT understands that many rural
businesses need continued access to skilled migrant workers.
ACT is a pro-immigration party, honouring our heritage as a
nation of immigrants. We know there are pressures on
infrastructure as a result of immigration, but solutions to
this must not come at the cost of businesses in regional New
Zealand.
Less loopy laws
ACT is
against heavy-handed rules and regulations. The Health and
Safety at Work Act 2015 went too far. To be competitive,
adaptable and resilient, the primary sector needs government
to get out of the way. There are too many legislative
barriers in front of businesses at every stage: production,
processing, marketing and distribution. ACT will lower the
cost of complying with regulations.
Firearm
freedom
ACT opposes proposed changes to the
firearm registration process as they are expensive and
unenforceable. ACT is also against giving Police new powers
to enter the property of firearm license holders, and the
plan to create blunt new categorisations of
firearms.
Flexible water use
ACT
opposes the scapegoating of irrigation and dairying to score
votes. This tactic, employed by the likes of the Green
Party, is simplistic and fails to ensure sustainable use of
water resources. ACT would reform water use rights, moving
away from fixed limits and first-in-first-served
arrangements, to a more efficient system of tradeable water
use rights.
Free trade
ACT has always
been the strongest supporter of free trade in Parliament.
ACT will continue to champion free trade agreements so New
Zealand businesses have access to large overseas
markets.
ENDS