Tax cuts for the rich ‘not Christian’

TODAY is Saturday, October 1, the 274th day of 2022. There are 91 days left in the year. Highlights in history on this date:

1831 — John Guard jun is the first European born in the South Island, at Te Awaiti.

1834 — Forces from HMS Alligator shell Waimate pa on the South Taranaki coast, in the first action taken by British troops in New Zealand.

1867 — Das Kapital, a foundational theoretical text in materialist philosophy, economics and politics by Karl Marx, is published.

1877 — The Mosgiel to Outram railway is opened.

1881 — New Zealand’s first manual telephone exchange is officially opened in the chief post office in Christchurch.

1887 — Made possible by the development of the railways, New Zealand’s first inland parcel post service begins.

1914 — Turkey closes the Dardenelles to the Allies in World War 1.

1918 — Arab forces assisted by the British under T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) capture Damascus from the Turks.

1923 — A team from Dunedin’s Seacliff Football Club beats Wellington YMCA 40 at Wellington’s Athletic Park to become the first winner of the Chatham Cup, New Zealand football’s premier knockout competition.

1925 — New Zealand takes over administration of the Tokelau Islands from Great Britain.

1933 — The fourth Maori king, Te Rata Mahuta Potatau Te Wherowhero, dies.

1941 — The Royal New Zealand Navy is created, with the country’s naval forces no longer part of the Royal Navy; at Wangaehu, near Whanganui, an Ab class locomotive and 11 wagons plunge into the Wangaehu River after at least one of the trucks derailed while approaching the bridge, injuring the driver.

1962 — Sir Guy Powles takes up his role as New Zealand’s first ombudsman.

1969 — An AngloFrench Concorde supersonic aircraft breaks the sound barrier for the first time in a test flight over France.

1975 — In what is called ‘‘The Thrilla in Manila’’, Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier in 14 rounds, by TKO, at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines.

1978 — The South Pacific archipelago of Tuvalu, formerly the Ellice Islands, becomes independent from Britain.

1986 — New Zealand’s goods and service tax (GST) comes into force. Initially adding 10% to the cost of all goods and services, it is raised to 12.5% three years later, and to 15% on this day, October 1, in 2010.

1989 — Pakistan rejoins the Commonwealth after a 17year absence; Denmark becomes the first nation in the world to allow homosexuals to marry.

JACINDA ARDERN

Let me be perfectly clear. The fact that there is nationwide excitement at the opening of new megastore Costco is no reflection on this Government's handling of inflation.

I understand that among the hot sales items were in the food court with its hot dog and refillable soda deal for $1.99.

This Government is committed to making it easier for all Kiwis to enjoy positive outcomes on hot dogs and refillable soda deals.

I have sat up late at nights with Finance Minister Grant Robertson to go through the costings.

In turn, Grant has waited for hours outside the office of Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr to make gentle inquiries on the handling of interest rates.

We are all on the same page when it comes to a strong Kiwi dollar.

And that's why I am pleased to announce that this Government will roll out a families package over the next few months resulting in hot dogs and refillable soda deals for $110.99.

CHRISTOPHER LUXON

I read in the paper about a woman who flew from one end of New Zealand to the other for the opening of megaretailer Costco this week.

She lives in Riverton but was determined to be present at the store's opening in Auckland.

I can't think of a better metaphor for the swing to the National Party.

It shows that Kiwis up and down New Zealand are in the mood for change. They've had enough of the same old options. They want to welcome a new dawn. The National Party represents that change — and we're very much a megastore.

Nicola Willis has a shelf full of really great tax cuts.

Simeon Brown has got some exciting deals going on tougher sentences for evildoers.

Judith Collins is sitting up in the attic on a rocking chair. I'm not quite sure what her deal is.

And down in the basement, in fact beneath the Earth's crust, in darkness, moving imperceptibly and with stealth, we have Sam Uffindell.

You don't want to go down in the basement. We don't talk abut the basement.

But Sam is our employee of the month. Cheers, Sam!

KELVIN DAVIS

All I want to say about the opening of megastore Costco is that shoppers need to cross the bridge that is Te Tiriti o Waitangi from her Pakeha world into the Maori world and understand exactly why and how the Maori world operates.

It's not enough that a pack of 48 Kirkland toilet paper rolls costs

$39.99.

Shoppers need to stop looking at the world from a vanilla lens.

What does it matter that two 500g blocks of Mainland unsalted butter are selling for $14.98, six cents cheaper than Pak ‘n Save?

I'm deeply concerned about shoppers who whakapapa to Maori, but have been raised in a Pakeha world.

We need to have that conversation and stop talking about Costco's $7.99 rotisserie chickens.

All shoppers in Aotearoa New Zealand need to take a good long look at themselves in the mirror of identity politics and make a considerable effort to understand the Maori world view better, to embrace it, and to generally feel inferior to it.

Then and only then can we truly enjoy the hot dog and refillable soda deal for $1.99.

SUNDAY morning’s readings (from a lectionary used by the Church of England as well as the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia) and music at St Paul’s Cathedral were directly relevant: the prophet Amos’ denunciation of those ‘‘who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph’’; Paul’s first letter to Timothy, affirming contentment with food and clothing rather than the ‘‘many senseless and harmful desires [of those who want to be rich] that plunge people into ruin and destruction’’; Jesus’ parable about the rich man feasting while Lazarus lay starving at his gate with dogs licking his sores, and their respective fates; and a motet, by Christopher Tye, which enjoined the congregation to ‘‘Give almes of thy goods, and turn never thy face from any poor man.’’

Relevant to what?

Two days earlier, Britain’s Prime Minister, Liz Truss, and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, had revealed their ‘‘fiscal event’’ (not ‘‘budget’’, to avoid Office for Budget Responsibility scrutiny) which will deregulate industry, abolish the top (45%) marginal tax rate (someone ‘‘earning’’ £1 million a year gains £40,000), limits on bankers’ pay, and stamp duty; cut levies on businesses and buytolet landlords; reduce the basic tax rate (by 1%) and taxes to fund social services; but, despite cost of living inflation of nearly 10%, give nothing to the poorest 10%. Those on Universal Credit (various benefits) will be nearly £1500 a year worse off: it’s estimated 700,000 more children will be living in poverty in two years’ time, with lifelong adverse effects on them, and society.

And there’s more of it to come. This ‘‘growth plan’’ gamble, relying on long discredited ‘‘trickle down’’ theory, will be funded by borrowing, about £400 billion in the near term. But the predicted GDP growth of 2.5% is fantasy: the rich will save much of their windfall, not spend it. And GDP numbers are pointless: what matters is whether people can eat. As The Observer has noted, funding for this upward redistribution could have provided support of £2000 for every household of the poorest 20%, who would, perforce, have put it back into the economy.

As deficits mount even higher, along with the cost of borrowing

(the pound fell dramatically on news of the ‘‘event’’) health, education, and social service cuts are inevitable.

Ms Truss claims to be an

Anglican, telling a Conservative Party hustings during the leadership campaign: ‘‘I share the values of the Christian faith and the Church of England.’’

She’s not a regular churchgoer, though. If she was, and had attended church last Sunday, she might have been reminded of some of those values which she claims to share.

Is this disastrous move by the government of nolongerGreat Britain relevant to New Zealand, apart from stressing small nations’ economies, whose currencies are dragged down as investors retreat to the US dollar’s relative safety?

One hopes no New Zealand government would be reckless enough to borrow so much, so expensively, for a ‘‘growth gamble’’. But Ms Truss’ tax cuts (promised to Conservative Party members during her leadership campaign) resonate ominously with New Zealand’s opposition parties’ policies.

The National Party (like Britain’s Conservative Party, led by someone claiming to be Christian) describes itself as ‘‘the party of tax reduction’’, and recently reaffirmed its intention to index tax rates to inflation and abolish the top marginal tax rate of 39% on incomes over $180,000. Those changes would benefit middle and (especially) high income earners, but not the poor.

Regard for the poor would mean abolishing tax on the lowest income bracket, increasing it on high incomes, and taxing wealth, to fund infrastructure, health, education, and income support for the poor, adequately. That would be Christian. And boost the economy.

Fact check for reporters: Queen Elizabeth was never ‘‘Supreme Governor of the Anglican Church’’ — only of the Church of England.