Power to the provinces

Should we care about Auckland’s house price bubble?

One of the latest solutions to that problem comes from economist Gareth Morgan.

He proposes that the equity in property be taxed as if it were invested by the owner in a bank fixed-term deposit.

A pensioner with a $300,000 home, having spent a lifetime paying off the debt, would get an annual bill from IRD for $4000.

A farmer might get a $1 million one.

Morgan doesn’t mention if one will get a rebate for not owning a cat or a tax writeoff for euthanising an existing one. Perhaps this will be added to sweeten the proposal.

I only mention this crackpot idea, which has all the merits of dousing a campfire with a bucket of diesel, because whatever the Government eventually does to placate the strident Auckland cries of house unaffordability, the cost will be largely met by the provinces, unless they move to protect themselves.

Auckland, and the Aucklandbased media, set the national political agenda by virtue of their population dominance.

It is about time the provinces had a political party representing their interests to counterbalance this. The police showed good sense when they ignored some minor cannabis smoking incidents last Saturday.

People were protesting against cannabis laws at 10 cities and towns around New Zealand and calling on our Government to regulate cannabis similarly to alcohol.

When people are exercising their democratic rights, police harassment of smokers would have been a waste of taxpayers’ money and valuable police resources.

Protesting against unjust laws is our democratic right, so long as its not a threat to others in any way.

New Zealand spent more than $59 million between 2007 and 2011 imprisoning those who were convicted of minor drug offences and had to serve custodial sentences.

This money is spent on imprisonment costs alone – it does not include costs to police, the courts, treatment or probation.

Current policy has proven highly ineffective at restricting young people’s access to cannabis.

Legal regulation, which includes age restrictions, can limit young people’s access to it.

Only 23 per cent of Dutch people aged 15 to 64 had ever tried cannabis and 7 per cent had used it recently, compared to 52 per cent and 24 per cent in the US, and 50 per cent lifetime use and 15 per cent recent use in New Zealand.

Government surveys show around 540,000 New Zealanders smoke pot regularly, while 70,000 light up every day despite harsh laws against its use.

Our public policies should reflect this reality, not deny it. Robert Rout (May 1) seems to have failed to comprehend the contents of my letter regarding ‘‘trophy hunter’’ Rebecca Francis.

All animals have the right to life and to die with dignity.

Trophy hunters are the scum at the bottom of the watering hole.

Robert Rout’s letter lost all credit when he dusted off the Bible and dragged up the abortion issue, which my letter had no connection with whatsoever.

And on that note, it is a woman’s right and choice to have an abortion.

It is a private medical procedure.

Perhaps next time when he puts pen to paper and can let go of God’s hand and a load of nonsense scripture, he will think for himself.

I make no bones about the good people I look up to and admire in this world; the people who put others before themselves and who try to make the world a better place.

Thanks, Jane Goodall and Joy and George Adamson. Their contribution is priceless.