Letters: Why we need to pay more tax; ideal Auckland stadium site; truancy crackdown

An artist's impression of the inside of the proposed stadium at Auckland's Quay Park.

Letter of the week

We need to pay more tax

Politicians cry over the amount of debt we have accrued but yet are adamant that there will be no fuel taxes, no wealth tax, no capital gains tax.

There will, however, be tax cuts for the wealthy, tax incentives for landlords and rebates on GST for businesses - all lowering the overall tax take.

The above lists cancel each other out. NZ must constantly and consistently renew and maintain its infrastructure and not leave it to the point where it breaks down, is worn out, or is not fit for purpose.

Therefore the obvious solution is for everyone to pay more tax in the form of user pays. If everyone paid all of their taxes, pays for gains and no tax cuts, NZ would be able to build and maintain infrastructure and also service some of its debt.

If all able-bodied New Zealanders were forced to attend school and then get a taxable job NZ could once more become a first-world country.

We are a low-wage, low-taxed country. To keep our specialists we need to pay them more.

NZ will have to learn to make sacrifices and save for the “nice to have things” and cut the instant gratification culture that has crept in through importation of cheap goods.

Like it or not, we need to pay more tax and every dollar spent must be accounted for by the Treasury.

Marie Kaire, Whangārei.

Racecourse stadium site

I do not agree with your editorial “New stadium option could transform city” (Weekend Herald, Feb 10) as there is one very much better option to lift all of Auckland.

Sure there are four published choices for Auckland’s new stadium, including the very expensive waterfront stadium with seating for 50,000 people that could be increased to 70,000, but the list sadly does not include by far the absolute best choice.

It is so easy to do: Just close Avondale Racecourse and use the site to build an exact copy of the truly amazing Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia. The Avondale site is very large and very close to trains and buses, plus there’s heaps of room for a large carpark on the site (unlike all the four sites selected). Please consider this fantastic solution.

The answer is so absolutely simple. Just exactly copy the very same features of the extremely brilliant Optus Stadium, which seats 60,000 people all in very large seats, plus most of the spectators are fortunately in seats covered from any rain, and all seats are very close to large toilet facilities.

An Optus-type stadium there will surely be a win/win solution now as it is reported on the news that Avondale Racecourse is now due to be closed in 2024. It’s perfect timing and absolutely the right place for our new Auckland Stadium.

Murray Hunter, Titirangi.

Truancy crackdown

Associate Education Minister David Seymour has a huge job ahead of him tackling the school truancy problem.

The idea of stepping up fines and prosecutions for parents neglecting their parental duty of seeing their children attend school is probably a waste of time and effort.

There are far too many parents and caregivers who couldn’t care less if their children miss school and too many children who copy that attitude. There have always been neglectful parents who don’t value their child’s education, but the truancy rate is expanding exponentially now as the problem wasn’t nipped in the bud.

What those parents need to understand is the lack of an education generally means their child has no motivation to get a job, or is probably unemployable, and in both cases ends up on a benefit.

Seymour will need to come up with something innovative if he’s going to solve the truancy problem as nothing’s working at the moment.

Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.

Start ‘em early

Instead of waving the big stick of fines for delinquent parents, why don’t we incentivise school attendance by employing children to attend school, just as if they were young adults starting their first job?

Their first job should be their education, so if pupils are paid based on their school attendance it would eliminate the need for family tax credits and the like.

They would contribute PAYE so that keeps IRD happy and the whole family support side of MSD/Work and Income could be reduced as well. Start ‘em early, I say.

Christopher Simmons, Papatoetoe.

Meola Rd upgrade

It’s disappointing to see the continued attacks on the much-needed rebuild of Meola Rd and the safety improvements coming for portions of Pt Chev and Garnet Rds.

This project has the support of 38 organisations, including all local schools and business associations, and is well overdue.

Many locals who have been in touch with me about the project want to see Auckland Transport follow through on the commitment they have made to the Pt Chev community to deliver safer arterial roads for all transport modes, provide better footpaths and street lighting and make stormwater improvements for a vital connecting road that flooded badly a year ago.

Don’t throw the whole project out because of communications hiccups from AT.

Julie Fairey, Auckland Councillor - Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa ward.

Foreign landlords folly

Allowing overseas people to buy NZ housing stock for rental properties does zero to solve any housing problem.

A house can only house one family at a time and it used to be Government policy to support people owning the property they live in.

The overseas person simply adds to the group of people wishing to buy a house, thereby increasing the competition and thus the price of that and all other houses.

The end result is a lessening of owner-occupied houses and an increase in landlords with no increase in the housing stock. There are many ways to improve housing but allowing foreigners to buy our current stock is not one of them.

National is clearly heading down the wrong track. Next they will be allowing deductibility for expenses including mortgage interest against other income, which tilts the scales even further against the NZ holy grail of supporting home ownership by New Zealanders.

Dennis Pahl, Tauranga.

Weighing in

Have a think about any outrage that may arise should an airline ask to weigh you before take-off.

It is a simple matter of physics. Very careful calculations must be completed before departure to ensure a safe plan for take-offs and landings, plus enough fuel for the flight and any necessary diversions. Extra weight = extra fuel and modified performance calculations.

It is your choice to be affronted about being weighed. It is the airline’s regulated requirement to ensure that all flights are safe.

Each airline passenger has a known baggage weight limit and that is recorded at check-in. The unknown factor, of vital importance to safe travel, is the weight of passengers.

Currently it is “guessed” by allocating a generic weight to each passenger. Surveying any check-in line shows the limitations of that approach.

Paying the same fare has no bearing on the physics or the cost of the flight. Heavier passengers actually impose a cost to airlines since nothing more is paid for the extra weight being transported. Contrast that to the scenario of posting a letter or package where every gram costs … a lot.

Passengers being weighed before a flight is purely a matter of ensuring a safe journey for all concerned. Obfuscating the issue by shifting the focus to a potentially bruised ego trivialises the issue of flight safety.

Personally, I want to fly safely, and if that means being weighed, then go right ahead and show me the scales.

Maria Carbines, Hillsborough.

A quick word

Wow, the proposed Auckland stadium design looks absolutely awesome. I wonder if there would be any cost savings to the ratepayers if they were to build a stadium suitable for hosting sports requiring an oblong field that can also host concerts rather than an amazing-looking monstrosity to compete with the Sydney Opera House.

James McCormick, Oamaru.

Short of funds for transport systems but there appears to be plenty of funds for a questionable waterfront stadium. Vested interests seem hellbent on this waterfront stadium. If we don’t have transport systems spectators won’t be able to get to the stadium. Let us concentrate on a working transport system first.

Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.

The Auckland petrol tax was supposed to help improve roads and travel around the city; however, it seems instead that we mostly got very expensive and wasteful spending on raised pedestrian crossings, speed bumps in inappropriate places and cycle lanes, many of which are not justified. Mayor Wayne Brown is concerned that some similar projects may not now go ahead, thank goodness for that.

Ken Graham, Greenlane.

Mayor Brown: It isn’t your city, it is ours.

Mark Young, Orewa.

A Fletcher is defined as a person who makes arrows. Clearly the ones made in NZ never hit the target.

Garry Wycherley, Awakino.

I have just read some bad news: ASB bank’s profit was down this last year. They only made $707 million: that is terrible.

Julie Pearce, Matamata.

Does Woolworths really think that shoplifters and thugs will use their customer loyalty cards? The information Woolworths is gathering would boggle the mind of George Orwell.

CC McDowall, Rotorua.

I strongly suspect that the problem on Auckland’s new rails are that they are welded together rather than the old system allowing heat expansion at the joints.

Mike Crosby, Papakura.

Whenever someone was late at the office in England – the standard British Rail joke was “leaves on the line”. We now have the KiwiRail version – “heat on the track”.

Brian Byrne, St Heliers.

The dullest rugby test match is still better watching than what we witnessed at this year’s NFL Super Bowl.

Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.

If the boyfriend can lose control and assault his coach in public, what will he do to Taylor Swift in private when she does something he doesn’t like?

Susan Grimsdell, Auckland Central.

The English language continues on the road to hell in a handcart. Latest examples in television advertising: New World tagline: “Find your wonderful”. Wonderful what? I always thought wonderful was an adjective Westpac tagline: “Together grader” (spelt greater). Also an adjective – greater than what?

Elaine McGlinchey, Kawerau.

Special counsel Robert Hur (Weekend Herald, Feb 10) could have been talking about me: “A well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory… and diminished faculties in advancing age.” Fortunately, I am not attempting to get re-elected this year as President of the United States.

Arch Thomson, Mt Wellington.

Working from home was a gimmick, a cushy work habit that had no checks or balances. It’s hard to assume how much productivity there was while WFH, companies have now discovered that said productivity was appallingly low and need to rein in their expectations.

John Ford, Taradale.

The average time on the Jobseeker benefit is 13 years. It may be more appropriate to call it the Jobavoider benefit.

Neil Hatfull, Warkworth.