Chris Hipkins has only himself to blame for Labour's woes, says Richard Prebble. Photo / Mark Mitchell
OPINION
The Labour Party is like a hapless whale being attacked by sharks, writes political commentator Richard Prebble. The sharks are the Greens and New Zealand First, who are ripping voters off Labour.
Chris Hipkins has only himself to blame, Prebble says. Hipkins made a huge mistake when he made a captain’s call to rule out wealth taxes. Not because it was the wrong decision, but because he gave the wrong reason — politics. The best case against a wealth tax is that it raises little money. Taxpayers flee rather than waiting to be shorn. Overall tax revenue falls.
By not explaining that wealth taxes reduce government revenue, Hipkins has allowed the Greens to claim wealth taxes can pay for their promised Shangri-La.
Read the full story: Election 2023: Richard Prebble - Labour whale to sharks, Chris Hipkins to blame
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So Labour’s election campaign is now about promising benefits three years into the future. The upcoming pre-election economic and fiscal update looks like it is going to reveal a government “living beyond its means”.
If a business was in a similar situation promising to pay its rent or suppliers three years into the future, [it] would result in the business being put under administration or into receivership.
Similarly, a local council would be put under administration.
National and Luxon may have to (if elected), set up a finance cabinet and maybe begin with cutting Parliamentary salaries, such as “list MPs” back to 75 per cent of the current rate - then reducing non-productive “dead-wood” bureaucrats.
The interest being paid on Labour’s money printing means the country is just “treading water” currently.
The election is our chance to remove this incompetent Labour government and begin the “rebuild”. - John AL
Maybe in the few remaining weeks someone, anyone, will ask Labour and Hipkins to list and discuss their achievements whilst in power.
It is so unusual for a government wanting to be re-elected to not have billboards and ads trumpeting their successful policies — and yet practically no media attention given.
Just think if National had promised and spent with such woeful lack of transparency and success … - Marg M
Mr Prebble, I think, could bend any argument to show why the rich listers’ favourite political parties would do better for the richest few per cent of the population than Labour/Green.
It’s true because Labour/Green would do better for the rest of us.
I happen to agree that the GST policy won’t work (and will unintentionally benefit the supermarkets).
But to turn that into an argument against getting non-residential landlords to pay more tax is … weird.
Why is nobody talking about serious anti-duopoly rules, which is what is really needed to bring consumer prices down?
Why is nobody talking about the scandal of deliberately empty non-residential property being used as a tax avoidance scheme? The problem with Labour is mainly that they aren’t radical enough. - Brian C
While this government continues to spend like a drunken sailor and convince people that inflation-busting wage increases are a good thing, we will go further downhill.
Inflation will remain high, interest rates will have to rise further and when the dust finally settles we’ll be left with an inefficient economy that pays more than it can afford. Steven Joyce summed it up - Champagne taste on a carrot juice budget. - Steve S
I still can’t fathom why Labour is polling as high as they are.
There must still be people out there who don’t care that our country is going backwards at a horrific rate.
They don’t seem to care that the crime rate is out of control. They don’t seem to care that every health measure is rapidly declining.
They don’t seem to care the Government is collecting nearly double the amount of tax from us, than when they took office and have absolutely nothing to show for it.
We desperately need a change. - Jill G
In reply to Jill G: This Government doesn’t affect a lot of people. The wealthy just get on with things and the poor just keep on accepting what is handed out.
It’s the middle that is most affected.
So I can see this will be the most important vote come October. - Candy B
In reply to Jill G: I think that many people don’t believe that Luxon/Seymour have anything better than proven-to-fail populist solutions to such problems.
Also, many people pay attention to the rest of the world and understand that our economic problems are 99 per cent imported.
And finally, they certainly don’t believe that National/ACT cares about ordinary people. - Brian C
Election “bribery” is common to both Labour and National.
GST off fruit and veg is pathetic. More “handouts” in social services are pathetic.
Remember [former Prime Minister Michael Joseph] Savage started social services as a “hand up” during the 1930s depression.
It has developed into a way of life for far too many. At election time, all politicians forget that the Government has no money - only our taxes and what they can borrow against the tax flow.
The working population should not be supporting those who can but will not work. - Derek P
- Republished comments may be edited at the editor’s discretion.
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