Economist Thomas Sowell warns, in Basic Economics, that no matter how well-intentioned, government interventions in the housing market almost invariably result in a short supply and increasing cost. New Zealanders who’ve watched the Ardern government’s spectacularly failed Kiwibuild policy have grim experience of this economic rule. But it’
Judith Collins has raised the spectre of Labour supporting the Greens’ idea of a wealth tax; so much so that Labour will implement the tax if they win the election. Labour’s response is that they have denied this many times and that National is “desperate”. Labelling the opposition as
Judith Collins’ main policy this week is to “win the election” “New Zealand needs to grow its way out of this economic crisis, which will only be possible with the hard work, ingenuity and determination of the private sector. “National’s NZ Tech 2030 Plan will diversify our exports, level
John Tamny aier.org It’s long been a proper article of faith among members of the right that the free flow of goods within countries isn’t just brilliant because it expands the global division of labour. There’s also a world peace angle to trade. An open market
Governments throwing around money is always going to be politically popular. But, as Margaret Thatcher famously noted, sooner or later governments run out of other peoples’ money. When the Rudd government announced its first stimulus measure in the face of the GFC – a $900 cash payment to all Australians – the
As I wrote this week, the great economic danger facing Australia as it struggles – hopefully – out of COVID panic is an explosion in government debt. Debt is not of course an evil in itself, as any business which has ever taken out a loan to finance growth knows. But, as
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Forget the media lies about President Donald Trump telling Americans to inject bleach and other such Trump-deranged fake news. The biggest delusions, exaggerations and outright bullshit about the Wuhan Plague have been peddled by the so-called “experts”: scientists, public health bureaucrats and supposedly sober and responsible politicians. Even the Morrison
AIER Staff aier.org From October 1-4, 2020, the American Institute for Economic Research hosted a remarkable meeting of top epidemiologists, economists, and journalists, to discuss the global emergency created by the unprecedented use of state compulsion in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. The result is The Great Barrington
In a classic sketch from Beyond the Fringe, a group of cultists gather for their predicted end of the world. When it fails to occur on schedule, the cult leader remarks, Well, it’s not quite the conflagration I’d been banking on. Never mind, lads, same time tomorrow… we
An article in the Business section of the Weekend Herald caught my eye. It was a comment piece written by Bruce Cotterill. Cotterill is a company director and an adviser to business leaders. The question he asked was – Where are leaders as NZ crumbles? That’s what really caught my
