Sunday 14th Nov 1999

Rodney Hide

In the mid-1990s New Zealanders were looking forward to a bright future, but by
1999 our overall economic position had significantly deteriorated. What went
wrong? Some factors, like the drought and the Asian crisis, were out of our
control. Others were self-inflicted: the government's lack of direction and
economic vision, and its decision to put government spending before tax cuts.
The upshot is that prosperity in New Zealand continues to be held back by
extraordinary waste in government and far too much regulation. Labour and the
Alliance are promising even more taxation and regulation! This will cost
people jobs and the country growth and cause more skilled young New Zealanders
to emigrate. New Zealanders deserve better.

ACTÆs goals

- New Zealand to have the highest growth, and lowest unemployment, in the OECD,
and to have the highest living standards in the Asia-Pacific region

- To foster wealth creation by reducing taxes and eliminating stifling
regulations

ACT believes

- Prosperity comes from an open economy, low spending and taxes, minimum
regulation, and honest and stable government

- Our tax system, Government red tape and bureaucracy are destroying far too
many jobs and businesses

ACT will

- Implement a five-year staged programme of tax reductions so that working New
Zealanders can keep more of their hard-earned money

- Through those tax reductions, give New Zealanders the security and prosperity
they are seeking this election, 80,000 new jobs, balanced books while
maintaining Government spending at present levels

- Reduce waste in government and focus government on delivering essential
services

- Remove the red tape and employment law restrictions that are killing jobs

- Reinvigorate property rights in land by boosting rights to compensation and
restore common sense in safety, environmental, heritage and historic places
regulation

- Review local authority legislation with a view to forcing local authorities
to focus more on core activities and to end their excesses in relation to the
RMA and business rating differentials

- Tackle road reform to address problems of congestion and investment and local
government ineptitude

- Stop government departments from imposing taxes on business in the guise of
user charges

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