Listen: Jacinda Ardern says capital gains tax is not a headache

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo / Mark Mitchell

While some people may find the capital gains tax a confusing proposal, Jacinda Ardern insists it is not giving her a headache.

The Prime Minister told The Country's Jamie Mackay the Government's consideration of the CGT is "not an unusual process."

"The Tax Working Group has put its ideas on paper [and there are] options for us to consider, but we haven't settled on anything."

Mackay referred to a recent opinion piece by Herald deputy political editor Claire Trevett, who wrote that the two-month gap between the Tax Working Group report and the Government's response to it provided "plenty of time for scaremongering."

Ardern disagreed with this idea and said that the alternative was to "not listen to people [or] hear their views".

As well as this, Ardern said the previous National Government had left an even longer gap when considering the bright-line test.

"Obviously the last Government when they sought advice ... and eventually put in place the bright-line test, they received a report, they considered it for four months. We're not suggesting we would do that".

"Maybe one of the differences here is whether or not the scaremongering was occurring during that four month period or not".

Whatever the outcome of the Tax Working Group's proposals the Prime Minister said it is better to listen to other's opinions, rather than to just "immediately ... put out exactly what we're doing".

Listen below:

"It's not unusual at all for a Government to receive a working group's opinion to take some time to consider it.

"Ultimately ... I don't think we should shy away from hearing people and listening to people's views".

Also in today's interview: Ardern discusses the Pike River re-entry, whether Shane Jones is hard to control, and if New Zealand's cooling relationship with China is warming up again.