Posts by Allan MacLachlan
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Speaker: Why a renter died from turning…, in reply to Moz,
One problem with the tax situation is that for many people the tax department is saying on the one hand "you have an income-producing asset, pay tax" but on the other "your asset does not qualify as an investment so no costs are deductable"
Where do you get the idea that because an asset is not an investment that the costs are not deductible?
The basic premise of taxation in NZ is that if you have income it is taxed, and any costs incurred in the production of that taxable income is deductible. Exceptions exist, most notably - there are no deductions for salary and wage earners, but essentially if you have spent the money, and it is related to the income, you can deduct it from your taxable income.
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I can't help thinking that this campaign will have the effect of shifting the onus or blame towards an innocent party. Sure, in the clip above, the driver on the straight is breaking the speed limit at 108km/h, but that would still not likely have earned him a speeding ticket (unless on a holiday weekend). The primary responsibility is with the driver on the Give Way. The driver on the Give Way should not expect any other driver to allow for his errors at all.
Sure, I get that we all need to be aware that people make mistakes, and not to trust any other road users. But I think this campaign will fly over most people's heads, and in fact encourage just those conversations after an accident: "why didn't you slow down so I could get through? It's your fault"
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It’s one of the cool things about GPS. You can test your speedo quite easily. I have an app that hassles me if I’m going over 100km/h on my phone.
GPS doesn't always give an accurate speed reading - ever had a look at your GPS track if using a fitness app like MapMyRun? It can be out by a few metres here and there, which must have an impact on your speed calculations, so GPS is not as infallible as many people believe.
Part of being a good driver is being aware of distance and speed - if you are having to use an app to keep under the speed limit, then you are probably not sufficiently aware of your speed, and you should be paying more attention to the task at hand.
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Hard News: Neither fish nor fowl, in reply to Martin Lindberg,
I'm not overly familiar with that intersection, but sometimes you've got to go out of your way to keep yourself safe. If that means carrying on a few hundred metres to the Newton side of the bridge, and crossing with the lights to double back, then so be it.
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My own experience as a cycle commuter and weekend roadie for the last 20 years is that I get less aggression from motorists when cycling on my commuter (mountainbike, wearing fluoro, and baggy shorts), than as a mamil (middle aged male in lycra - also fluoro) during my weekend road rides.
I object to being forced to wear fluoro mostly on the grounds that I should not be forced to protect myself from other people's negligence. I accept that motorists don't expect to see me, so I'll try my best to make sure they do, both by being as visible as I can, and acting in a way that keeps me safe. But I don't think I should be forced to wear hi-viz as I don't want some motorist running me over then I get a ticket because I wasn't wearing hi-viz/flouro.
And I don't want someone to come along later and say that all pedestrians should now wear hi-viz clothing. As an aside, while I applaud walking school buses, my heart also sinks a little that they all seem to be wearing hi-viz. They're walking on footpaths and I would like to think that the children would grow up where walking on the street is normal, and not require special clothing. Because, they are our future, walking on the street with hi-viz might also be...
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My eyes glazed over when Nick Willis talked himself up to be the same as Peter Snell and John Walker. Sorry, 1st is ahead of 3rd. Gold is better than bronze.
Surely shot-put is also a 'bona fide blue riband Olympic event.'
Not to detract that even getting to the Olympics is a worthy feat.
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"For someone like Brendhan Lovegrove who i think almost scrapes by on a living from comedy, every time he takes a risk with new material, he risks loosing the next audience. "
Every time he uses the same material, he does lose the audience that has seen it before. I was at the Gala and had heard the same act from Brendhan some time ago at the Classic Comedy Club. And didn't he also do some of that on Rove Live some time?
He failed to showcase his act, simple.