Nats’ hollow wish-lists

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

How can National’s Nicola Willis talk about getting revenue by taxing online gambling, but then be unaware of VPNs and how they’ll help gamblers get around borders?

Then there are the problems with international tax treaties which will prohibit a differential tax for overseas buyers.

Both tax collection ideas are hollow wish-lists.

National needs to find somebody competent with a real-world view.

They have refused to be transparent and release their policy workings, but expect that they’ll “find the money”. Yeah right.

A hope and a prayer aren’t going to fix the fiscal hole which will be made to fund tax breaks of tens of thousands of dollars for landlords, including themselves.

Nicola Willis seems to think that they’ll voluntarily reduce rents but this will give landlords the opportunity to buy more properties and push prices up, again.

I remember that last time the Nats gave unaffordable tax cuts, they increased GST — even after they said they wouldn’t. GST puts a larger tax burden on the poor and the pensioners who spend all of their income to survive.

Nicola Willis was John Key’s chief policy adviser at the time.

In the meantime, Labour continues to announce good policy which will improve lives and health, with free dental care for those under 30. Labour can afford this because they don’t need to help sell houses or enrich landlords.

Mary-Ann de Kort