Even a dollar a day can make difference in some people's lives. Photo / APN
If someone offered you an extra $10 or $20 this week, would you turn it down?
I've been surprised at the number of people who say they don't want National's proposed tax cut.
They seem to think that it's too small to make much of a difference.
The party is talking about $1.5 billion being available for tax cuts and debt repayment in the third year of the next parliamentary term, if they are the Government.
The Opposition is calling it a joke and I've heard talkback callers saying it's a waste.
It appears that New Zealanders don't need that extra money, and do not need to count every cent they have.
Is this a responsible way to view extra money in our pockets?
Is that a sign that things are better than they were?
We know that even a dollar a day can make difference in some people's lives. It appears those people aren't in New Zealand.
An amount of $1.5 billion into the economy isn't a number to be baulked at. Money is being put back into the hands of people who buy goods and the small businesses that create jobs.
A little goes a long, long way. If 50 people spent their $10 tax cut with a local shop each week, that business would notice a big difference and could possibly hire another staff member.
There are also some ways we can use this money to make a difference in the lives of others through giving and donations, if you really don't want the money in your pocket.
If you'd rather the Government was giving your tax cut to those in need, you can do it yourself, perhaps even more efficiently than the Government would.
If you give your $10 a week to a charity such as KidsCan, the donations rebate means it'll only cost you $7.
You don't even have to make the payment yourself - you can set up a regular payment through your employer's payroll system.
To me the best thing about a tax cut is that you can make your own decision on where that extra money goes and what you would like to do with it.
The council has also been served with judicial review proceedings.