Oh Dear: “Trickle-Down”, Again
Trickle-down economics deserves recognition – as economics’ most successful bogeyman. Forever attacked, never defended, because there’s nobody home.
Economy
Greenpeace Whinges While Shane Jones Gets On With the Job
New Zealand’s resources are a gift and it’s madness to lock them away while we beg for scraps from overseas. Shane Jones is right to tell the world we’re open for business.
The Commerce Commission Targets the Supermarkets
Van Heerden said the commission’s preference is for the industry to voluntarily change its practices. “If they don’t, we’ll have to consider our other alternatives.”
Trump’s Big Beautiful Dump
In this respect, Donald Trump is proving to be a huge disappointment. He talks big on cutting taxes and spending but shows no intent to seriously tackle the deficit.
Who Will Feed Paris?
In his time, Bastiat – like Alexis de Tocqueville – had already understood that socialism “send[s] civilization back.”
This Is Daylight Robbery in Hi-Vis
Don’t expect the cone cartel to fold anytime soon. There’s still plenty of gold in them hills and the taxpayer tap’s still flowin’.
Why Get On the Housing Ladder?
At last we have a government that appears intent on dealing with the factors that have caused house prices to rise much faster than incomes over decades.
When Identity Picks Winners and Taxpayers Pick Up the Bill
When one part of the market is lifted by genuine success, we all win. But when one part is lifted by the state, while another is weighed down by regulatory obligation, the market becomes not a forum for exchange but a theatre of inequality.
Budget 2025
Frank Newman, an investment analyst and former local body councillor, has examined the budget from a business perspective and raises concerns about the flagship ‘Investment Boost’ policy.
Counting the Cost
For all the gravitas which Dame Marilyn’s involvement has conferred upon PSCPE, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that it represents a deliberate attempt to morally overpower what is now the law of the land.
Why Not Just Cancel NZ’s Debt?
This means the only thing stopping the government from defaulting is fear.
Called the Enemy of the State
Duplication of health and education bureaucracies alone costs taxpayers billions of dollars, yet the feds do not run a single hospital or a single school. This cannot go on.
Green Buckets – A Complete Waste of Money
Each year the Food Scrap Bin programme costs more than $36 million, or about $77 per household – despite only 35 per cent of Aucklanders actually using them.
Means-Testing Jobseeker Benefits for 18- And 19-Year-Olds
Well-intentioned policies are frequently beaten by the introduction of bad incentives and their outcomes.
The Greens and Their Idealism
What makes idealists dangerous is when they get frustrated because no one will listen. This, at least to them, justifies using force to make others do what they want, ‘for their own good’.