Issue Analysis
Issue Analysis (IA) are shorter publications that deal with controversial and current issues.
Categories
The Decade-long Binge: How Government Squandered Ten Years of Economic Prosperity
Government spending in New Zealand has increased enormously over the past decade in order to meet social goals. From 2000-2010 spending increase from $35 billion to $70.5 billion, a 57% increase in real... Read More
KiwiRail: Doomed to Fail?
Government ownership cannot and will not ‘fix’ rail in New Zealand. Luke Malpass argues that one year after the renationalisation, it has become clear that the previous government’s justifications... Read More
Emissions Tax: The Least Worst Option
The New Zealand government’s emissions trading system, due to come into force in 2010 for energy and 2013 for agriculture, is the wrong approach. An emissions tax linked with other tax cuts would be... Read More
Ending No. 8 Wire Welfare: Why New Zealand is Lagging Behind
The government’s welfare policy is moving in the right direction and a recession is a good time to reform the welfare system. Introducing more rigorous work-first policies is important in a recession... Read More
KiwiSaver or KiwiSucker? A Critical View
The promised benefits of KiwiSaver do not match the high cost of the taxpayer subsidies. With KiwiSaver and New Zealand Super combined, it is now possible for a young person on the average wage to retire... Read More
Why is Australia So Much Richer than New Zealand?
New Zealand has lower labour productivity, higher income tax, fewer opportunities for capital investment and more sporadic government intervention and regulation than Australia. Read More
Taming New Zealand’s Tax Monster
New Zealanders now pay an extra $20 billion per year in tax than they did in 2000. There needs to be a proper review of government spending to assess its value for money, and effectively determine the... Read More
Reinventing New Zealand’s Welfare State
New Zealanders are much richer than when the welfare state was founded. People’s incomes should therefore be sufficient to buy many of the services earlier generations could not afford. But reliance... Read More
New Zealand’s Spending Binge
Government spending in New Zealand is now $20 billion higher than it was in 2000, yet the available social indicators show negligible improvements. Life expectancy, infant mortality, hospital outputs,... Read More
Why Tax Cuts Are Good for Growth
In the wake of the government’s $11 billion budget surplus, cutting taxes could deliver a significant boost to the economy. Many voters support tax cuts because it means more money in the pocket. However,... Read More
How to Fix a Leaky Tax System
The New Zealand tax system has become complicated and unfair, and its integrity corroded by the introduction of a 39% tax rate for income over $60,000. Tax evasion and avoidance widespread are widespread... Read More
Are New Zealanders Paying Too Much Tax?
New Zealand is a highly taxed country on a global scale and has record budget surpluses. The past decade has seen huge increases in the government’s tax revenue and spending. In the 2006 Budget, the... Read More
