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Phil Rennie

Publications by Author

  1. Submission to the NZ Business Tax Review 2008

    Phil Rennie | 14 Aug 2008 | Submissions

    The priorities for the NZ government should be: Reduce the corporate rate to 30% Reduce the top personal rate to 30% Reduce... Read More...

  2. KiwiSaver or KiwiSucker? A Critical View

    Phil Rennie | 07 May 2008 | Issue Analysis

    The promised benefits of KiwiSaver do not match the high cost of the taxpayer subsidies. With KiwiSaver and New Zealand Super... Read More...

  3. FEATURE: Six Social Policy Myths

    Andrew Norton, Jennifer Buckingham, Jeremy Sammut, Peter Saunders, Phil Rennie | 03 Mar 2008 | POLICY Magazine

    Policy experts often think alike, even when the evidence contradicts them. This is how billions of dollars get spent on government... Read More...

  4. FEATURE: Explaining the Income Gap: Are Aussies and Kiwis that different?

    Phil Rennie | 12 Dec 2007 | POLICY Magazine

    New Zealand is Australia's poor cousin. Is the Kiwis' national culture holding them back?

  5. Why is Australia So Much Richer than New Zealand?

    Phil Rennie | 04 Dec 2007 | Issue Analysis

    New Zealand has lower labour productivity, higher income tax, fewer opportunities for capital investment and more sporadic... Read More...

  6. Taming New Zealand’s Tax Monster

    Phil Rennie | 15 May 2007 | Issue Analysis

    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... Read More...

  7. New Zealand’s Spending Binge

    Phil Rennie | 15 Mar 2007 | Issue Analysis

    Government spending in New Zealand is now $20 billion higher than it was in 2000, yet the available social indicators show... Read More...

  8. Why Tax Cuts Are Good for Growth

    Phil Rennie | 18 Oct 2006 | Issue Analysis

    In the wake of the government’s $11 billion budget surplus, cutting taxes could deliver a significant boost to the economy.... Read More...

  9. How to Fix a Leaky Tax System

    Phil Rennie | 14 Sep 2006 | Issue Analysis

    The New Zealand tax system has become complicated and unfair, and its integrity corroded by the introduction of a 39%... Read More...

  10. FEATURE: The Fall and Rise of the State in New Zealand

    Phil Rennie | 09 Sep 2006 | POLICY Magazine

    After a brief respite in the 1980s and early 90s, the state's powerful role in New Zealand life has begun to grow again.... Read More...

  11. Are New Zealanders Paying Too Much Tax?

    Phil Rennie | 15 May 2006 | Issue Analysis

    New Zealand is a highly taxed country on a global scale and has record budget surpluses. The past decade has seen huge increases... Read More...

Opinion & Commentary by Author

  1. Is New Zealand saving itself to death?

    Phil Rennie | 07 May 2008 | The Dominion Post

    How important are savings to economic growth? Would you gamble billions of dollars on the answer? This is the challenge facing... Read More

  2. Kiwisaver or KiwiSucker?

    Phil Rennie | 07 May 2008 | The Wall Street Journal Asia

    You’d have to be an idiot not to join KiwiSaver, according to most financial advisors. In effect the government is paying... Read More

  3. Supersize my economy

    Phil Rennie | 11 Apr 2008 | The National Business Review

    Everyone knows that Australians are richer than New Zealanders, with wages a third higher on average. Almost everyone agrees... Read More

  4. Economics not only a matter of size

    Phil Rennie | 24 Jan 2008 | The Dominion Post

    As painful as it is to admit, everyone knows that Australians are richer than New Zealanders. Wages are a third higher on... Read More

  5. Don’t choke on your cornflakes but Australians are much richer than New Zealanders

    Phil Rennie | 10 Dec 2007 | The New Zealand Herald

    Why are Australians so much richer than New Zealanders? It’s almost an embarrassing question to ask because we don’t... Read More

  6. Australians are no bigger and no smarter than New Zealanders, but seriously better off

    Phil Rennie | 08 Dec 2007 | The Australian Financial Review

    Kiwis have become used to finishing behind Australia in sporting contests, but the most serious gap between the two countries... Read More

  7. Are tax cuts inflationary?

    Phil Rennie | 29 Oct 2007 | New Zealand Centre for Political Research online forum

    The latest excuse from the government for not giving us tax cuts (despite an $8 billion surplus) is the fear of inflation.... Read More

  8. A breather before bingeing

    Phil Rennie | 17 May 2007 | The New Zealand Herald

    Finance Minister Dr Cullen is in an enviable position, despite his protestations of poverty. Every year he receives billions... Read More

  9. Can't buy a caring society

    Phil Rennie | 20 Mar 2007 | The New Zealand Herald

    Since 2000 our Government has been on a spending binge that would put the late Sir Robert Muldoon to shame.

  10. Do tax cuts make a difference?

    Phil Rennie | 12 Dec 2006 | New Zealand Center For Political Debate

    With a budget surplus of over $11 billion the government is fast running out of excuses not to cut tax.

  11. Who's paying all their tax?

    Phil Rennie | 14 Sep 2006 | The Dominion Post

    Nobody likes paying tax, but for a large number of people it’s now an inconvenience they don’t have to bother with.

  12. Breaking the cycle

    Phil Rennie | 05 Jul 2006 | The Press

    The tragic case of the Kahui twins has generated a lot of hand-wringing amongst critics, but not enough discussion of the... Read More

  13. Bad manners to blame politicians

    Phil Rennie | 15 Feb 2006 | The New Zealand

    As an exuberant child of the 1980s I had many excuses for my misbehaviours and public rudeness. But I never thought to blame... Read More

Ideas@TheCentre by Author