“NZ First has made the right call in pulling its support for next year’s tobacco tax hike and it should consider
opposing a range of other Labour policies”, says ACT Leader David Seymour.
“Tobacco taxes take $2 billion from the pockets of New Zealanders, a sum which outweighs the cost smokers impose on the
community. Massive tax hikes have failed to significantly reduce smoking rates but have taken hundreds of millions from
the poorest New Zealanders and incentivised thugs to wreak havoc on small retailers across the country.
“Next year’s tax hike has already been legislated for, so will Labour bring a bill to Parliament to repeal it?
“NZ First should also consider pulling its support for firearms legislation. Experts and submitters have warned that:
proposed regulations for clubs would cause them to fold, driving activity underground; that a gun register, if leaked,
would become a steal-to-order list for criminals; and, that people would forego medical treatment if they thought their
affairs could be reported by medical professionals to Police.
“Winston Peters should also veto Shane Jones’ corporate welfare machine. Governments have seldom spent money better than
the people who earned it, especially when giving it to businesses. Add in a series of questionable conflicts of
interests with Jones’ Provincial Growth Fund, and Peters would be smart to lance the boil before it engulfs him.
“Mr Peters might also say ‘no’ to Labour’s ban on vaping flavours and advertising, which would make it more difficult
for 500,000 smokers to quit.
“Also on the chopping block should be Fair Pay Agreements. FPAs would introduce additional complexity and uncertainty
into labour law and would harm productivity because people will end up spending more time arranging to do work and less
time actually doing work.”