The Don’s Not For Turning

From Don Brash’s speech to the National Party conference in the weekend.

There are always those who believe the only way we can win the Treasury benches is by trying to “out-Labour Labour”. If Labour wins office by taking $25,000 in tax off a successful hardworking Kiwi and bribing five voters with $5,000 each, perhaps National has to “up” the stakes, and take $30,000 in tax off a successful hardworking Kiwi and bribe five voters with $6,000 each, or six voters with $5,000 each?

But that way surely lies disaster. Not only do we erode the spirit of personal responsibility and self-reliance on which this great country was built, but ultimately those who are more and more heavily taxed to finance the political bribes decide they’ve paid enough, and either arrange their affairs so they can substantially avoid tax or leave for places where they can pay much less tax. And of course plenty of affluent New Zealanders have done exactly that.