Newsflash: PM Hipkins announces how to pay for the hurricane - Tax the Poor

PM Hipkins must have had a brain wave the past week - he stumbled in his dreams on a way to help pay for the hurricane which he announced today. It's a Special Lotto Draw !?

So who buys lottery tickets? Mostly those from lower income families. The Otago Daily Times reported at the end of last year that "Nearly 70 percent of Lotto shop sales are made in the poorest half of the community". It's not technically a tax, since its "voluntary". Well, not really - many of those who gamble have an addiction - its a compulsion.

In our richest Decile 1 & 2 communities, $12.5 million was spend on Lotto in 2021. In our poorest Decile 9 & 10 communities, like Ōtara-Papatoetoe in Auckland, people spent $151 million in 2021. That's 12 times more. Aside from money, isn't the government meant to be in the business of helping those with addictions, not encouraging them?

Paying for hurricane relief by taking money from addicts and the poorest members of our community takes the cake.

Sources

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/02/cyclone-gabrielle-international-fundraising-appeal-special-lotto-draw-announced-to-support-recovery-efforts.html

https://www.odt.co.nz/business/lotto-stores-poorest-half-nz-account-70-sales

The NZ Herald published my economics critique of National and refused to publish the one of Labour

Last month, I sent an article to the NZ Herald, checked over by the University's media team, critiquing National Leader Luxon's five point plan for the economy, arguing it was similar to Labour's policies. It was promptly published. It was not liked by National Party MPs.

To promote balanced debate - and a quest for the truth that lies at the centre of academic endeavor - I penned a companion article about how Labour Leader Hipkins has not provided any solutions to address the root cause of our cost-of-living problems - namely NZ's low productivity. Instead his strategy has been to blame others and blame events. He's blamed the Rogernomics reforms of 40 years ago, he's blamed the virus, now he's blaming the weather. The Herald rejected the article.

At least we have you, the readers of this blog, so I will publish it tomorrow here.

Sources:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/bruce-cotterill-local-media-need-to-find-their-teeth-again/RB2EERPJ7KEFIULKOWPYQJYPTE/