Local Focus: Should Tauranga's rich pay more tax? Candidates give their views

Would taxing the rich more to pay for increased welfare and services help reduce poverty in New Zealand?

In this Local Focus video we put this question to the main candidates of the Tauranga electorate.

Former National leader Simon Bridges brought up the aspiration argument, which supposes that people are more likely to work harder if they're taxed less.

"All of us start at the bottom and we work our way up," he said. "As you do that we want to make sure we're not overtaxing this country."

From another viewpoint, Labour's Jan Tinetti said every person, not just the wealthy, "has a part to play in that situation to make a more equitable economy".

NZ First candidate Erika Harvey also took a holistic viewpoint, while Act's Cameron Luxton turned the question on its head claiming that taxing the rich doesn't make poor people less poor.

"Taxing the rich disincentivises the rich from creating opportunities that help everybody in New Zealand," he said.

Also standing in the Tauranga electorate:
• Paul Hignett for New Conservatives
• Tracy Livingstone for the Outdoors Party
• Daniel Crosa for Advance NZ
• James Capamagian – Independent
• Yvette Lamare - Independent
• Josh Cole for the Greens
• Andrew Caie for the Opportunities Party

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