Supporting others

In the MMP process policy compromises will emerge.

What a pity all political media weren’t obliged to take annual holidays right now. Misinformation tropes waft by, such as ‘moral authority to govern’ whereas authority derives entirely from an agreed leader gathering a 61-seat tally which the Governor General then affirms to govern.

To debrief; why did the campaign reduce entirely to ‘‘tax equals evil’’, aka ‘‘give me more in my own pocket’’.

An inspirational messenger appeared but power-holders quickly produced fake facts and relentlessly re-iterated them, scoffing at expressions of conviction that an economy must not be limited to finance columns, but must include how our people – he tangata – are.

As a child I recall my smallbusiness owner Dad doing his annual tax returns.

I’d hear the words ‘‘income tax’’ and ‘‘social security’’.

My generation (albeit pa¯ keha¯ dominated) accepted the principle of supporting those in need, statefunded healthcare and the then visionary Dr Beeby’s education system.

How times changed. By the

1980’s the revolution overtook us all and greed became the good.

2017’s campaign agenda was captured by the ‘‘tax is a curse’’ theme, despite that democracies we envy show that fairer taxation lies behind their social statistics which put ours to shame.

Post-modern life demands critical thinking, as demonstrated by one media economist’s shockwave arguments that a wellstructured tax system enables all its people to ‘‘share in the life’’. In effect, that ‘the common good’ was all about love.

Surely, if we say we love our country, we’ve not given up on this?

Shirley Knuckey

New Plymouth