Latest Posts

Wealth taxes

Opinion by Max Rashbrooke on May 19, 2019

Many people feel that, following the prime minister’s decision not to implement a capital gains tax while in power, there is no longer any prospect of taxing wealth in New Zealand. I beg to differ. While a capital gains tax is clearly off the table, the government has not ruled out other forms of wealth…

What does the public really think about a capital gains tax?

Opinion by Max Rashbrooke on April 12, 2019

Many claims have been made recently that a capital gains tax is dead in the water because the public is firmly against it. This is not so, however. While the tax is not wildly popular, there is a strong support base for it. The precise level of support is not easy to gauge, as none…

Social Income costings

Opinion by Max Rashbrooke on February 27, 2019

This week I’ve proposed a Social Income, essentially a more generous though means-tested unemployment benefit set at the poverty line of 50% of average income (currently $19,000 a year approximately) and available for people doing a range of socially useful activities, including caring for sick relatives, raising children and volunteering for a registered charity. For…

2019: the prospects for fairness and openness

Opinion by Max Rashbrooke on January 15, 2019

The 2019 political year is now well and truly up and running. So what progress might we see on two key areas of interest for me, and I think for most New Zealanders as well – economic equality, and more deeply open and participatory government? In brief, I think the current government has better ambitions…