Why Government needs a plan for the economy including Dunedin
Dunedin has been feeling the pinch. At a local level, choices made in Wellington have affected Dunedin directly. In a recent article entitled Regions Treated as a ‘Cost’ by National, I explain why.
I’ve had plenty of feedback on this piece because it gives some granular detail about choices the Government’s made that have cost jobs in Dunedin, contributed to a 67% rise in the number of unemployed people in Otago, and contributed to 1030 Kiwis leaving Dunedin permanently for Oz in the past year.
In a second article I pointed out the big changes the Government can make to better New Zealand’s prospects as a whole. Labour has already outlined solutions that would make a big difference to the economic conditions in our country.
Changes Labour would make include: changes to Reserve Bank Act to give them tools to focus on the economy and jobs, not just interest rates; a move towards universal savings. (The $A1.3 Trillion of savings Australia has makes a big difference to businesses looking for a source of cash to grow); pro-growth tax reform to neutralise the investment signal via a capital gains tax, and to encourage investment in future-focused industries via Research and Development tax credits; and, procurement policies that ensure whole of economy benefits are taken into account when taxpayer money is spent (think: Hillside).
1 comment on ‘Why Government needs a plan for the economy including Dunedin’
I work as an owner drive in a taxi company in Dunedin and I can see that Dunedin has lost so many businesses closing down as I drive around the city. The National government doesn’t give a dam about this area. Dunedin use to be a very vibrant and prosperous city but Dunedin has lot so much that in time it won’t be a city with people moving out. No work here. My income has dropped big time but my costs of running my taxi haven’t those costs have gone up. Also I am discriminated against because I drive a diesel car which is cleaner for the environment than petrol. My registration is double that of a petrol car plus the road user tax. Why not get rid of the road user tax on cars and put the tax at the pumps like petrol. I have lived in Dunedin for 58 years and I love this city it has a lot of potential and Dunedin is still a reasonable safe place to live compared to other cities in New Zealand.