Letters: If you give to a charity, you shouldn’t expect a rebate

Should the All Blacks be worth more? Photo / SmartFrame

Letters to the Editor

Time to abolish rebates for charities

There are 29,119 “charities” registered in New Zealand. Some big, most small, some famous, most you wouldn’t read about – nor want to.

The New Zealand tax cake is only so big. Every dollar of income tax “rebated” because a donation has gone to a charity is one dollar less for schools, hospitals, roads, Pharmac and all the other 1001 things the Government does for you and me.

So here’s an idea: abolish all tax rebates for all purported charities. If you want to give your money to a cause you think worthy, do so. But don’t expect the Government to subsidise you, because when you think “Government”, it’s actually my tax that’s subsidising you and maybe I’d rather my tax went to something I voted for, like free medical care for all or, if the money is misspent, at least I’ll know it’s been publicly misspent by a Government someone else voted for, rather than secretly squandered by one of those 29,119 “charities”.

John Trezise, Birkenhead.

Equity and equality

I’m a simple soul and it is difficult to keep up with politics these days.

I get told by Brooke van Velden not to conflate equity with equality so I should just accept that she is paid exactly the same amount as Shane Jones. That is only fair, she is doing a similar job, after all.

Right, but suppose my neighbour and I are doing not quite the same but a similar job and he gets paid more because he happens to be male. I get paid less because I am female and I have to be extra careful with money. So can I expect to pay less for my power and water to make it fair?

These new rules were pushed through Parliament under urgency and without consultation and I haven’t heard much explanation. Maybe I should ask David Seymour; he’s an expert on saving money.

“No,” he says, “This is equality, that’s why you pay exactly the same, and although you were not born here, you have the same rights as your neighbour, waiting umpteen months for a hospital appointment.”

Thanks David, I feel ever so equal now and really proud that I helped to “save the Budget”. But I am still confused about this equity and there’s no point asking Christopher Luxon because he never explains anything.

I think I have to sit down and have a cup of tea, as long as they haven’t put tariffs on that or protesters haven’t tipped all the teabags into the Waitematā Harbour.

Marian Stolte, Ōrewa.

Life on the street

When I was young, there was nobody “begging” in the street. I saw my first beggar when I was backpacking in Asia and it shocked me to the core.

Seeing the impoverished and the homeless in the street is a sad reality of life today that was beyond my imagination as a young man.

We try not to catch their eye as we go about our business and we can invent many reasons in our heads to justify ignoring them, but that is wrong.

Why not simply ask them if they are hungry or perhaps if they’d like a coffee? I recently bought a mocha for a shoeless young woman outside a petrol station. She gave me a lovely smile and said: “I’m going to drink this in the sunshine and for 10 minutes my life is going to be golden.”

Heartbreaking. It is so simple to bring the briefest period of contentment for those whose life is tough. I can almost guarantee they will be grateful and you will feel happy for helping just a little.

No algorithm can put a value on a smile.

Roger Laybourn, Hamilton.

Act on illegal dumping

With the increase in illegal dumping, may I ask why councils are not prosecuting?

I see it every week and it’s disgraceful.

Don’t sticker it, fine the lazy imbeciles responsible. Do something proactive.

Fiona Helleur, Milford.

First-class rugby insights

I commend Gregor Paul on his first-class insights into New Zealand Rugby’s accounts.

Most striking for me was the number of offshore territories able to watch Rugby Championship matches online for free.

The All Blacks strive for a superior brand of rugby. They should be worth significantly more than $285 million.

Cost management aside, how about closing these free-to-air loopholes?

Andrew Shirtcliffe, Newmarket.

Too many injuries

Look at the list of serious injuries in Super Rugby Pacific this weekend.

Rugby has become too brutal and physical. Players must be physically shattered after a game. It must take days to recover.

Rugby officials took measures to try to reduce head knocks by seriously lowering the tackle height but that has been replaced by serious head knocks from players throwing themselves recklessly into rucks and mauls.

Unless something is done to reduce the number of injuries, players will gradually leave the game.

Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.