New Zealand Taxpayers' Union

www.taxpayers.org.nz

Photos (3)

News (28)

New Zealanders oppose taxpayer-funded bailouts for private media companies

A Taxpayers’ Union – Curia Poll has revealed that 55% of New Zealanders are opposed to taxpayer money being used to fund struggling private media companies, with just 29% in support.

343 views

REPORT: Fire and Emergency levy increase unjustified, performance review needed

The Taxpayers’ Union is today releasing a report highlighting the significant failure of Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) to realise the expected efficiency gains following the 2017 mega-merger of fire services.

243 views

Unelected commissioners need to learn their place

TAURANGA — In response to the Tauranga City Council Commission Chair's warning against returning to elected councillors, the Taxpayers' Union spokesperson, Alex Murphy, defended democracy and accused the unelected officials of denying ratepayers their rightful say.

275 views

Taxpayers' Union pays tribute to Efeso Collins

Commenting on the news of the death of Green MP, Efeso Collins, Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams said: “While we may have had different politics, Efeso was always a councillor I - and the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance - could call and have a constructive conversation with.

316 views

NZTA must be clearer with speed and traffic camera plans

Comment on NZTA's proposal to expand the stock of its road safety cameras from 150 to potentially 800 over the next ten years.

295 views

Otago Uni's Lack of Transparency Reveals Much Deeper Problem

Responding to the Chief Ombudsman's comments that the University of Otago initially refusing to release information regarding the cost of commissioning a sculpture was unjustified, Taxpayers' Union Policy Adviser, James Ross, says.

285 views

New Zealand Sending Millions in Foreign Aid to Countries with Space and Nuclear Programmes

The Taxpayers’ Union is questioning why New Zealand taxpayers are forking out millions of dollars in foreign aid to countries that have state-sponsored space and nuclear weapons programmes.

369 views

DoC Director-General Gifted $5,159 in Luxury Items Upon Departure

The Taxpayers’ Union expresses deep concern over revelations that Department of Conservation (DoC) spent $5,159 on retirement gifts for its former director-general, Lou Sanson.

309 views

Human Rights Commission demonstrate how they've lost their way

The Taxpayers’ Union is slamming today’s release by the so-called Human Rights Commission of a previously secret work programme to undermine New Zealander’s freedom of speech online.

308 views

New Taxpayers' Union report shows the public sector is living far beyond its means

The new 2023 Public Sector Wage Gap Report from the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union investigating workforce differences between the public and private sector demonstrates that, while average public sector wages have stagnated recently, the growth in the number of government employees continues to burden the taxpayer, particularly across ministries and Core Crown departments, where back-office appointments have been prioritized over the front line.

467 views

Grant's gaming gamble is corporate welfare for well connected friends

The Taxpayers’ Union has condemned the Government’s decision to allocate $160 million in rebates to the gaming sector over the next four years – calling it ‘corporate welfare’.

342 views

Government is greenwashing: $182.5 million more in climate subsidies that won't reduce net emissions by a single gram

The Taxpayers' Union is calling out Government Greenwashing in its justification of spending at least $182.5 million of taxpayer dollars over the next four years on environmental subsidies that will fail to reduce net emissions.

247 views

So much for no new taxes. Government hikes trustee tax rates

The Taxpayers’ Union has condemned the Government’s announcement that it will increase the trustee tax rate to 39 cents in the dollar to align it with the highest personal income tax rate.

233 views

Cost of living be damned! Fuel tax hike from July will hit lower income and rural New Zealanders hardest

The Taxpayers’ Union has slammed the Government’s decision to hike fuel taxes from July.

221 views

Two tax hikes, and an LED light bulb. Nothing for middle New Zealand in this budget

Commenting on today’s budget announcement, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Callum Purves, said: “With the exception of rolling out free ECE to two years and dropping prescription co-payments, there is almost nothing that the average taxpayer receives from today, except higher fuel taxes and a promise to increase trustee taxes next year.

266 views

Phillip Mills gets the hypocrite of the week award

The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on Phillip Mills – of Les Mills – to pay back the $4.5 million his company took in wage subsidies before spouting off about how much he wants to, he says, pay more to the Government.

383 views

Tax hike to fund Teslas a kick in the guts to the provinces recovering from flooding

In the middle of a cost of living crisis, today’s move to hike the taxes on utes and other, so-called, gas guzzler vehicles is a kick in the guts to provincial and rural communities who already have it tough post-cyclone Gabrielle, says the Taxpayers’ Union.

360 views

NEW POLL: Two thirds of Kiwis back income tax bracket indexation

A Taxpayers' Union – Curia undertaken earlier this month poll shows that 65% of New Zealanders favour automatically increasing income tax thresholds in line with inflation as is already the case for welfare benefits.

380 views

Taxpayers should be hopping mad at $153,000 kill cost per wallaby in Otago

OTAGO — The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that taxpayers and Otago Regional Council ratepayers have forked out $2.76 million and more than 26,000 hours of work for a wallaby control programme that killed just 18 wallabies.

515 views

MPs must not be excluded from Official Information Act reform

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Government to reform the Official Information Act (OIA) to include the Parliamentary Service as an organisation covered by the Act.

388 views

GDP figures highlight the need for tax relief

353 views

Bigger doesn't mean better – Canterbury and Waikato Supercities are a bad idea

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union says that proposals from Hamilton and Christchurch City Councils to create new supercities are a bad idea that would increase costs for ratepayers, undermine local control and reduce democratic accountability.

331 views

How Hipkins can easily Scrap Three Waters

With the vast majority of Kiwis seeing Three Waters for what it is – Higher water costs, more bureaucracy, no local control, and less democracy – Mr Hipkins should scrap it, says the Taxpayers’ Union.

397 views

Clear message from Snap Poll: Hipkins must Scrap Three Waters for Labour to be competitive

The Taxpayers’ Union is congratulating incoming Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, and says his first move should be to remove the electoral handbrakes revealed in the Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Snap Poll released this morning.

465 views

There is such thing as a free lunch & taxpayers are funding it

Official Information Act requests have revealed that in the 2021/22 financial year the Department of Internal Affairs and the Department of Conservation spent $406,064 and $391,000 on catering respectively.

375 views

Ministry of Education needs to take responsibility for empty building debacle

The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Ministry of Education to take responsibility for the predicament it finds itself in with its now empty office continuing to rack up millions in taxpayer dollars.

385 views

Film Commission's Oscars jaunt costs taxpayers $58,000

Two New Zealand Film Commission officials spent $58,188 on a 10-day excursion to Los Angeles for the Oscars, reveals the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union.

467 views

Poll reveals distrust of taxpayer-funded media

Most New Zealanders believe that government funding for private media companies undermines media independence, reveals a new poll commissioned by the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union.

466 views