Posts by Katharine Moody
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Hard News: 2015: The Budget of what?, in reply to Sacha,
Here’s some of the type of analysis you’re looking for:
As usual, however, the devil was tucked away in the detail. Although many low income families will benefit from the increases to Working for families tax credits (“WFTC”) from 1 April 2016 the sting in the tail is an 5.9% increase in abatement rates from 21.25 cents to 22.5 cents in the dollar.
From 1 April 2016 WFTC will reduce by 22.5 cents for each dollar earned over $36,500 of gross income (a term which has itself been widely expanded in recent years). What this means is for families receiving WFTC their effective marginal tax rate (“EMTR”) will increase by a combination of tax and abatements.
For a small group of about 4,000 families on low income their EMTR is 100% that is every extra dollar they earn will be lost in tax and abatements of WFTC and other benefits such as accommodation supplement. Until the interaction between the tax and social spending systems are overhauled this intractable problem will remain.
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I heard a prediction the spies are gonna get a budget increase given we all know that terrorism is a greater threat to social cohesion than hunger.
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Up Front: Stand for... Something, in reply to Hilary Stace,
As I thought would happen – the officials (who likely see the Minister’s position on CC negotiations equally as depraved as the audience sees it) are expected to take the heat. Grosser is a coward. If I were one of those MfE officials – I’d take a PG out against Mr Grosser.
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Up Front: Stand for... Something, in reply to George Darroch,
Gee, that is a beautiful concept - inspiring and thoughtful. I agree - this process is highly unlikely to get us there.
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Up Front: Stand for... Something, in reply to Kumara Republic,
The rent-a-panel will no doubt move to rent-a-crowd for the next meeting :-).
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Envirologue: Multi-no-choice –…, in reply to Bart Janssen,
Point is though, this is the work of the Ministry for the Environment. They are supposed to provide the Minister (and the nation, as this is a public consultation paper) with apolitical, objective advice regarding options. Not multi-no-choice, as the title so aptly suggests.
I would like to see the specific instructions given to the Ministry by the Minister in relation to this work - as frankly, the Minister is, I believe, forcing a very bad look on them. And he's making them do the community consultation - I assume, expecting them to take the heat and criticism in attempting to defend the indefensible.
If I had to front up to a public meeting and defend this - I'd probably take out a PG against the Minister.
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Up Front: Stand for... Something, in reply to Jane Pearson,
Quintessential kiwi - oops, we trashed the flag pole.
Betcha someone took a chainsaw to it and made firewood.
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Up Front: Stand for... Something, in reply to william blake,
Like most New Zealanders I discovered my own patriotic feelings overseas.
I can get that - but in reverse.
I came here from the US in 1978 and immediately got why the term 'God's Own' had stuck. Not just the beauty of the place - but the dramatic changing beauty of the place within such short distances geographically. And then you became aware of the multitude of flora and fauna that is unique to this place, and this place only.
And then you walked to the local pub and had a beer. And you stood around a table with tradies, farmers, business owners/managers, public servants, the local doctor, the owner of the local supermarket and the war vets - all crowded round talking about the same thing: the beach, the bach, the kids and grandkids sport/school and the rugby - always the rugby- and the weather - always the weather. And the Sallies walked in and were welcomed - thanked for their work - and everyone gave something.
Never once did I hear anyone start up a conversation about how their latest stock portfolio was doing, or what did everyone think about where the price of gold was heading.
And I thought, what a different world to the US. An obsession with wealth accumulation, and with it social class distinctions, hadn't arrived here yet - egalitarianism was just an innate part of the NZ psyche and perhaps that's why NZers seemed so 'come-day-go-day'.
Flag waving didn't figure, you didn't start the day at primary school with a pledge to anything or anyone. You weren't indoctrinated. And I thought - oh my God, how indoctrinated was I having grown up in America.
Patriotism is to me indoctrination. I'd rather we stayed free thinkers - happy to celebrate our successes, and prepared to do something about our failures..
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Hard News: About Campbell Live, in reply to Alfie,
John Key was invited to comment, saying that he’d expected the woman (with long blonde hair) to win.
How embarrassing - he is obviously following it.
OMG.
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Hard News: Dirty Politics, in reply to Kumara Republic,
If the OAG won’t investigate, who will? We can’t just sit on the sidelines about this.
Dirty politics issues are more appropriately investigated by the Ombudsman's office - as many of the dirty tricks related to abuses of the Official Information Act. Dame Beverley said this last year when it all broke;
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11327328
She has begun that review. Perhaps the OAG has an understanding of what she has in mind. The three Offices of Parliament (these two + the PCE) are all pretty fed up with this government's disrespect for the constitution role their offices hold.