Here are just a couple of ways the Kiwi government greatly enhanced monopolies and duopolies the past few years:
Exhibit A
Although Fletcher Construction has been in the news regards its' Gib Board monopoly and the company dominates its industry, it was given a tax-payer funded welfare check of $68 million (courtesy of the wage subsidy scheme in 2020-21).
Exhibit B
Although our big supermarkets have also recently featured in the news for being a duopoly, the government made it illegal for anyone else to sell food during the lockdowns, massively extending their market dominance.
Yes, it's actually hard to believe that a government would make welfare payments to monopolies and make it illegal for others to compete with them, yet that is exactly what has happened these past couple of years. No wonder our cost-of-living is high.
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