30 January 2010

Land tax - short memories

If you ever had doubts of the degree to which the National Party could be a political whore (which the shift from Muldoonism to free market economics and the recent return to elements of Muldoonism ought to show), take this issue.

When it was previously in government, the Bolger government abolished Land Tax.

For the current government to even contemplate it, or to not hit it on the head absolutely and finally, speaks volumes about how easily swayed the National Party is to the winds.

More importantly, the idea that a party that sold itself in part on the basis of lower taxes is contemplating new taxes to offset tax cuts, tells you even more about how a vote for National is not, and (with the exception perhaps of 1990, 1993 and 2005) has never been about reducing the size of government.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not so short that I have forgotten Nationals 1990 promise to abolish the super surcharge. It not only remained, it was increased. Ian

Libertyscott said...

Indeed, that cost the Nats dearly and rightfully so. Sadly those seeking it didn't ever come up with a list of spending cuts to make up the difference.