Kerre Woodham: Why I don't mind paying income tax

I'm not all that fazed by tax, I have to say. Unkind souls might suggest that I don't have to work very hard for my money and they would be right.

Unlike small business owners, I don't have to slave away from dawn 'til dusk, battling government compliance laws and dodgy staff in return for a pittance, half of which I have to give to the Government to fund its gigantic bureaucracy.

I can see how paying taxes would really incense some individuals. And National is hoping there'll be enough incensed individuals who'll vote Blue come the next election to bring about a change of government.

"Tax cuts before Christmas" trumpeted Don Brash before the ink was even dry on the the Budget papers. Nobody seemed terribly impressed with Michael Cullen's Budget - well, nobody that is, except the Associate Minister of Finance, David Cunliffe, who rang me on talkback to say that he thought it was brilliant and masterful and that Michael Cullen would go down in history as the greatest ever Minister of Finance.

It was an extraordinary and appallingly public display of Culleningus and toady of the month award would have to go to the young member for New Lynn.

Apart from David Cunliffe, everyone else thought it was boring. But I guess a boring Budget is better than a Budget of bribery and sweeteners. Surely, if you're doing it properly, Budgets are meant to be boring. I don't mind paying tax given that I've used the health and education system and found them to be first class. And now that the nurses have finally got their pay rise, that pleases me too.

Sure, if I was taxed less, I could spend more on imported stereos, maybe buy a second car, buy some nice art works, but then I'd have to spend more on a security system to keep out the have-nots. What's the point?

There are ways of fine-tuning the tax system - reducing the GST on essential food items, raising it on luxury goods, that sort of thing, but that's for the boffins to work out. In the meantime, I'll just keep going to work secure in the knowledge that if I'm one day unable to clock in, the taxes I've paid will provide a safety net to cushion my fall from grace.


- HERALD ON SUNDAY