NZ First

[SueDonim]

No, the first way around is correct. National always has to tackle the mess and does so by starting with a rein-in of spending, ie being fiscally prudent, then because people don't get that it takes more than 5 minutes, they get voted out again. The tax cuts were to get the economy moving - more spending means business survives and the government makes more in GST. Which, BTW is the fairest tax and the one I'd put up, in conjunction with a tax cut at the low end so that the poor aren't disadvantaged. Spending on "wants" is discretionary and the more wealthy people spend more there, and higher GST would mean they pay more because they spend more.

I tend to agree with Praktica, cutting services to the point they are no longer performing the service they are required to do just isn't a smart move... but which comes first the chicken or the egg...

Liz Truss did well with tax cuts this year didn't she?

Liz Truss got voted in because she promised the tax cuts. Trouble is that there was no plan for how to pay for them and the excessive borrowing that that would entail threw the international markets into a spin. She's now stuck between a rock and a hard place - the tax cuts supporters blaming her for not doing what she promised, and everyone else blaming her for the international ramifications.

Just like in NZ, she can't work alone. Jacinda is the figurehead, but what she does has the backing of her party. And when National talk of tax cuts, hopefully the plan will include how to pay for them so we avoid the UK problems. Which we would avoid to some extent anyway since we aren't that important on the world stage. We do, however, still need to be able to balance our own books.

As far as the performance of our services goes, most things that I'm aware of are currently the worst they've ever been. 5 years after Labour came into power. Covid has of course had an impact, but it can't be blamed for everything, and the Covid managment that started off so well has also turned to crap now too.