CoveragePost
October 29, 2025
COMMENTARY: By Craig McCulloch, RNZ News acting political editor It was hardly a dream debut for Labour’s long-awaited, much-argued-over tax package for Aotearoa New Zealand. What was meant to be a carefully choreographed reveal of a capital gains tax (CGT) later this week instead arrived early — leaked to RNZ over the long weekend and ... <a title="Labour’s capital gains NZ tax gamble – from leak to launch" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/10/29/labours-capital-gains-nz-tax-gamble-from-leak-to-launch/" aria-label="Read more about Labour’s capital gains NZ tax gamble – from leak to launch">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
August 16, 2024
Analysis by Keith Rankin Wednesday I wrote Department of Mum and Dad (Scoop 14 Aug 2024, or here on Evening Report). I finished by saying that, today, “I will propose a simple affordable solution which better fits centre-right than centre-left philosophies”. Here goes. My proposal is to pay a personal tax credit of $150 per ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – A Personal Tax Credit (PTC) of $150 for New Zealand" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2024/08/16/keith-rankin-analysis-a-personal-tax-credit-ptc-of-150-for-new-zealand/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – A Personal Tax Credit (PTC) of $150 for New Zealand">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 11, 2024
By Finau Fonua, RNZ Pacific journalist, and Scott Waide, RNZ Pacific PNG correspondent Shops have been set on fire or looted in parts of Papua New Guinea’s capital Port Moresby as unrest broke out during a police and military strike. The protest over unexplained pay deductions to salaries of police, military, and correctional services has ... <a title="Looting breaks out in PNG capital during police and military strike" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2024/01/11/looting-breaks-out-in-png-capital-during-police-and-military-strike/" aria-label="Read more about Looting breaks out in PNG capital during police and military strike">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
November 14, 2023
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis have a bottom-line policy of delivering “tax relief” to New Zealand’s “squeezed middle”. Their modest policy is to increase the first three income tax thresholds by 11.5%, representing compensation for about two years of inflation-driven tax increases. (Labour’s policy, by contrast, was to take advantage of ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – Christopher Luxon is tone deaf and slightly innumerate on tax" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/11/14/keith-rankin-analysis-christopher-luxon-is-tone-deaf-and-slightly-innumerate-on-tax/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – Christopher Luxon is tone deaf and slightly innumerate on tax">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
October 2, 2023
COMMENTARY: By John Minto There is a sea change happening in the wider electorate in Aotearoa New Zealand which is counter intuitive to what the polls are saying. On the one hand the public overwhelmingly support much fairer taxation but the polls tell us we will have an Act/National government in a couple of weeks ... <a title="NZ election 2023: Labour’s disconnect with the electorate – and with itself" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/10/02/nz-election-2023-labours-disconnect-with-the-electorate-and-with-itself/" aria-label="Read more about NZ election 2023: Labour’s disconnect with the electorate – and with itself">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
September 21, 2023
COMMENTARY: By Martyn Bradbury Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition – and poll leader — National Party’s three biggest donors have a combined net worth of $15 billion. The bottom 50 percent of NZ has $23 billion. The top 5 percent of New Zealanders own roughly 50 percent of New Zealand’s wealth, while the bottom 50 percent ... <a title="NZ election 2023: Dear NZ, our foundations are in ruin and there’s no political courage for tomorrow" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/09/21/nz-election-2023-dear-nz-our-foundations-are-in-ruin-and-theres-no-political-courage-for-tomorrow/" aria-label="Read more about NZ election 2023: Dear NZ, our foundations are in ruin and there’s no political courage for tomorrow">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
August 14, 2023
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Who would profit most from Labour’s GST-exemption policy? It won’t be those struggling with the cost of living – the average shopper is unlikely to see any real change in supermarket prices if Chris Hipkins was to implement his tax-off fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables. The real winner would ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: How Labour’s tax cut will do little but benefit the rich" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/08/14/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-how-labours-tax-cut-will-do-little-but-benefit-the-rich/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: How Labour’s tax cut will do little but benefit the rich">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
August 1, 2023
ANALYSIS: By Bryce Edwards Cabinet Minister David Parker recently told The Spinoff he’s reading The Triumph of Injustice – how the wealthy avoid paying tax and how to fix it, by Berkeley economists Gabriel Zucman and Emmanuel Saez. The book complains that leftwing politicians throughout the world have forsaken their historic duty to innovate on ... <a title="Bryce Edwards: Can David Parker push Labour back onto a more progressive path?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/08/01/bryce-edwards-can-david-parker-push-labour-back-onto-a-more-progressive-path/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards: Can David Parker push Labour back onto a more progressive path?">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
April 27, 2023
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Yesterday the IRD released its landmark report on the ultra-rich in New Zealand and the tax they pay. It starkly illustrates the extent to which the wealth of the ultra-rich has skyrocketed in recent years. The richest 311 families have a combined wealth of $85 billion, and own a quarter ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Why NZ’s regressive tax system is unlikely to change" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/04/27/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-why-nzs-regressive-tax-system-is-unlikely-to-change/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Why NZ’s regressive tax system is unlikely to change">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
April 27, 2023
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig Elliffe, Professor of Law, University of Auckland Getty Images If nothing else, the just released Inland Revenue study of the tax rates paid by the wealthiest New Zealanders should put to rest the notion we have a progressive tax system. We don’t. A progressive system ... <a title="Proving the wealthiest New Zealanders pay low tax rates is a good start – now comes the hard part" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/04/27/proving-the-wealthiest-new-zealanders-pay-low-tax-rates-is-a-good-start-now-comes-the-hard-part-204532/" aria-label="Read more about Proving the wealthiest New Zealanders pay low tax rates is a good start – now comes the hard part">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
April 27, 2023
By Meri Radinibaravi in Suva The gamble that the previous FijiFirst government took in 2016 — in reducing the value added tax (VAT) rate from 15 percent to 9 percent — was basically done to please the people, says Fiscal Review Committee chair Richard Naidu. He said this gamble failed miserably because government expenditure continued ... <a title="Fiji’s reduced VAT ‘a failed gamble’ – a vision now needed, says Naidu" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/04/27/fijis-reduced-vat-a-failed-gamble-a-vision-now-needed-says-naidu/" aria-label="Read more about Fiji’s reduced VAT ‘a failed gamble’ – a vision now needed, says Naidu">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
April 23, 2023
By Shayal Devi in Suva Any attempt to review or change Fiji’s existing taxation system will be done with proper consideration of all reports and recommendations on the issue, says Fiji’s finance minister. Professor Biman Prasad, who is also co-deputy Prime Minister, said that any decision to make such changes lay solely with the government. ... <a title="Fiji tax system – ‘we’ll look after our vulnerable people’, says Prasad" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/04/23/fiji-tax-system-well-look-after-our-vulnerable-people-says-prasad/" aria-label="Read more about Fiji tax system – ‘we’ll look after our vulnerable people’, says Prasad">Read more</a>