Gangs get away with it too long
How much longer do we have to accept increasing gang numbers and their violent, intimidating behaviour?
The government and the courts have gone soft on dealing with them. Australia grasps every opportunity to clean up their society with total intolerance of gangs. They also immediately
expel every NZ-born offender.
The episode some days ago on the main highway near Karāpiro, with 60 motorbikes dangerously disrupting traffic, and allegedly being responsible for a physical assault, with the victim suffering critical injuries, is an outrage.
Similarly, for those in a state housing area being forced to live with the violent conduct of gang-related neighbours is unacceptable. Taking a softer line with these drug-driven gangsters is an approach that is not working. Lengthy jail terms, with no parole, is the only answer. To act both as a deterrent and to remove these villains from society.
Dr Hylton Le Grice, Remuera.
Tackle inequality
For any Government, one of the greatest challenges is how to reduce inequality and provide equal opportunities for everyone to prosper and do well in life. Unfortunately, the rich are getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Those who own property have got rich off the huge rise in property values. Those who don't, struggle to pay increasingly high rents, then to pay the bills. Recent hikes in the price of groceries and petrol just exacerbate the problem for those on lower incomes.
Glen Stanton, Mairangi Bay.
Low-income help
Various political parties in New Zealand are promising to reduce taxation to counter the worldwide increase in living expenses. Surely the easiest way to do this, and help those most in need, would be to establish a threshold of somewhere between $10,000 and $20,000 and not charge any income tax on income earned up to those amounts. That would help low-income people with food, clothing and shelter costs. And the lost income tax could be made up by increasing the tax on high-income earners.
David Mairs, Glendowie.
Tax break needed
Your correspondent Helen Acraman (NZ Herald, March 11) may be surprised that quite a few progressive countries do not charge income tax on the first percentage of income. It's called a Personal Tax Allowance. In Australia, there is no tax on the first A$19,200 of income. In Singapore it's $20,000, the UK has £12,570, France €10,085 and Germany €9,984. India, Malaysia, Sweden, Mexico and Egypt also have a personal allowance for taxpayers. The working poor in Aotearoa are not free riders, but victims of a low-wage economy. An allowance enabling them to keep more of the money they earn would benefit our economy through more GST and personal spending. There may be free riders, but not amongst those who work day and night to carry out a lot of the basic employment duties for little reward.
Larry Tompkins, Waiuku.
China stays silent
Russian atrocities in Ukraine are heart-wrenching yet Chinese President Xi Jinping, the only global leader able to sway Vladimir Putin and end the carnage, remains largely silent. China has watched in awe as the free world has coalesced with lightning speed to cripple Russia's economy, ravage its citizens' savings and Putin's ability to fund his war machine. China's naked ambition to annex Taiwan will be reviewed, mindful a similar response would devastate its trade. China's credibility is in question as its media propaganda misinformation aligns with that of the Kremlin to report a distorted version of events. Instead, they must voice concerns about Putin's actions.
P.J.Edmondson, Tauranga.
