Survey: Public wants petrol tax cut, government doesn't
A research company says four out of five New Zealanders think the Government should consider lowering taxes on food and petrol. The Government today again ruled out cutting GST on petrol saying it wouldn't make any difference, but Research New Zealand said a poll showed the public did not agree. The poll of 500 people found 80 per cent of New Zealanders thought taxes should be cut on food, 81 per cent thought tax on petrol should be lowered and 67 per cent thought taxes should be cut on electricity and gas.
What a load of bullshit ‘survey’ – of course the public want tax taken off petrol prices, they are bleeding through the wallet, but taking tax off petrol will mean people aren’t paying the price of the pollution they are creating which opens the door to more emissions, which warms the globe, which corrupts the agricultural calendar, which leads to you paying more for food. If there is a certain glee in my tone while watching the very things that Environmentalists have been warning consumer culture of for some time, I apologise as the situation is only going to get worse, a lot worse, we are in a period of consequences and everyone has been warned, time to reap what we’ve sowed people, lap it up because until we get political will to actually make the changes needed to adapt our economy all we are going to do is thrash around at the end of a noose of our own making.
Are you going to stop accepting ads for consumer goods on Alt TV bomber?
ReplyDeleteOr maybe you should run ads telling people to switch of their f**king TVs!
The public are not idiots, they are poorly informed and are suffering from higher food and transport costs. Calling them idiots doesn't really help anything does it? How easy to insult the masses when sitting in your nice central city, media exec ivory tower.
I'm chortling quietly as those who for decades dismissed the Green movement as "radical" and "fringe" now have to eat their words. It's been the Greens, globally, who have been trying to warn the self-appointed "mainstream" about climate change for over 20 years and peak oil for a decade. The "sensible" parties stand revealed as not very sensible after all as they don't appear to be able to integrate new information into their world view and polices. Labour has at least tried. National are the worst of the lot. The public is made up of all sorts - many get it, but most have no clue much of the time...and don't want one.
ReplyDeleteGST never should have been on basics as this is a tax on the poor. Most low income people are paying a large part of their income of food and fuel to get to work and be able to work. Its a viciously regressive tax on workers.
ReplyDeleteWiping 12.5% off food and fuel right now would be an election winner. Strange that Labour won't make this small offering to those they expect to vote them back.
The gains to the rich will be bugger all since the proportion they spend on basics is much smaller.
Yet Labour could say fuck off Key here is your tax cut - 12.5% off your housekeeping petty cash!
This would be the single most egalitarian act that this crapped out government could dream of.
If you want to pay for pollution bomber start making the polluter pay. Workers run cars to get to work so they can make the bosses profits. Carbon tax the profits not the workers and make the bosses run their companies clean.
"If there is a certain glee in my tone while watching the very things that Environmentalists have been warning consumer culture of for some time,"
ReplyDeleteYes, we have noticed your glee.
But there is only one planet bub, and if the conservatives are going down, well they are taking the greenies with them.
So I'm enjoying my time, and I will use your share too, and in the end we will both be in the same position.
I look at it like this.
ReplyDeleteSay tomorrow the Government (Labour/National/whoever) says, "yep, let's drop all tax on petrol". The price would go down to around $1.60 per litre. Everyone could drive their cars around again cheaply.
But as the cost of oil continues to climb, it reaches the $2 mark again. Again, the public cry, "drop fuel taxes". Whoever the Government is says, "we've already taken off all the taxes, we can't take any more off!"
Any benefit that removing fuel tax would appear to make is only ever going to be short-term. It's not a long-term solution.
Tumeke, I have an idea increase GST on all goods and services to 40%.
ReplyDeleteWhy is petrol any different???