Newsletter of the Alliance Party September 2011 NEWS National office: PO Box 2505, South Dunedin 9044, New Zealand. Email: [email protected] Web: www.alliance.org.nz “Putting People First” 40,000 signature petition calls for GST off food 40,000 signatures on a petition calling for GST to be removed from food and replaced by a financial transactions tax on speculation was presented to Parliament on Tuesday 16 August 2011. The Tax Justice petition was a joint effort by Socialist Worker and the Alliance Party. Alliance Party co-leader Kay Murray thanks all the people who contributed to the campaign so far by helping with the petition. “We know we many members who made a big effort to collect signatures over the course of the campaign. The Alliance has long argued for the removal of GST, and GST off food is a good way to start the phase out, and show people how GST is not necessary and is an unfair tax.” The petition got the attention of the national media and generated a lot of discussion about tax issues amongst New Zealanders. Unfortunately, due to the heavy snow that week, Kay and campaign co-ordinator Vaughan were not able to fly to Wellington as planned for the petition presentation. But Wellington campaign supporters including the Maritime Union and Nurses Union made sure the petition was delivered as promised, with campaign spokesperson Grant Brookes handing over the petition. The petition was received by Labour MP William Su’a William Sio and the delegation was also met by representatives of the Green Party and Mana Party. For more information on the campaign go to www.nogstonfood.org Campaign has done well, but needs to go broader A guest article from Vaughan Gunson Tax Justice campaign coordinator The Tax Justice campaign initiated last year by Socialist Worker and the Alliance has been a reasonable success so far. 40,000 petition signatures calling for GST to be removed from food and a tax placed on financial speculation instead were presented to Parliament on 16 August. Many of the signatures came from hundreds of people around the country posting in 10 or less signatures they had collected from friends, family or workmates. Because the campaign connected with people angry at the rising cost of food, we were able to gain support from some unions and influence policy debates within Labour, Greens and Mana parties. This process is ongoing. We should congratulate ourselves for keeping the issue of GST off food in the public eye, and for playing a good role in getting more political space for the idea of Financial Transaction Taxes, the best mechanism for making the speculators pay. The next stage of the campaign, I believe, is to try and build a broader Tax Justice coalition that includes more parties and groups on the left, as well as unions and other left-leaning mass organisations. Alliance and Socialist Worker comrades have played a good role up to this point, but the task of achieving tax justice for grassroots New Zealanders needs the kind of mass organisational muscle that only a broader coalition could bring. Email: [email protected] The delegation who delivered the Tax Justice petition to Parliament on 16 August 2011.
Alliance Party newsletter September 2011
Mar 13, 2016
News and views from the Alliance Party of New Zealand, including the Tax Justice campaign
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Newsletter of the Alliance Party September 2011
NEWS
National office: PO Box 2505, South Dunedin 9044, New Zealand. Email: [email protected] Web: www.alliance.org.nz
“Putting People First”
40,000 signature petition calls for GST off food
40,000 signatures on a petition calling for GST to be removed from food and replaced by a financial transactions tax on speculation was presented to Parliament on Tuesday 16 August 2011.The Tax Justice petition was a joint effort by Socialist Worker and the Alliance Party.Alliance Party co-leader Kay Murray thanks all the people who contributed to the campaign so far by helping with the petition.
“We know we many members who made a big effort to collect signatures over the course of the campaign. The Alliance has long argued for the removal of GST, and GST off food is a good way to start the phase out, and show people how GST is not necessary and is an unfair tax.”The petition got the attention of the national media and generated a lot of discussion about tax issues amongst New Zealanders.Unfortunately, due to the heavy snow that week, Kay and campaign co-ordinator Vaughan were not able to fly to Wellington as planned for the petition presentation.But Wellington campaign supporters including the Maritime Union and Nurses Union made sure the petition was delivered as promised, with campaign spokesperson Grant Brookes handing over the petition.The petition was received by Labour MP William Su’a William Sio and the delegation was also met by representatives of the Green Party and Mana Party.For more information on the campaign go to www.nogstonfood.org
Campaign has done well, but needs to go broader
A guest article from Vaughan Gunson Tax Justice campaign coordinatorThe Tax Justice campaign initiated last year by Socialist Worker and the Alliance has been a reasonable success so far. 40,000 petition signatures calling for GST to be removed from food and a tax placed on financial speculation instead were presented to Parliament on 16 August. Many of the signatures came from hundreds of people around the country posting in 10 or less signatures they had
collected from friends, family or workmates. Because the campaign connected with people angry at the rising cost of food, we were able to gain support from some unions and influence policy debates within Labour, Greens and Mana parties. This process is ongoing. We should congratulate ourselves for keeping the issue of GST off food in the public eye, and for playing a good role in getting more political space for the idea of Financial Transaction Taxes, the best mechanism for making the speculators pay.The next stage of the campaign, I believe, is to try and build a broader Tax Justice coalition that includes more parties and groups on the left, as well as unions and other left-leaning mass organisations. Alliance and Socialist Worker comrades have played a good role up to this point, but the task of achieving tax justice for grassroots New Zealanders needs the kind of mass organisational muscle that only a broader coalition could bring.Email: [email protected]
The delegation who delivered the Tax Justice petition to Parliament on 16 August 2011.
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Affordable housingThe Alliance will help get people into a home they can afford – our priority is housing for all.
Power for the people Electricity will be taken back by the people and operated for the public good – providing affordable, reliable power for all.
Secure jobsThe Alliance will protect workers in low paid and insecure jobs, reduce the working week and increase the minimum wage.
A future for our worldAn economy based on need and sustainability – not greed – is the answer to protecting the environment. Quality health care All people deserve good health care. The Alliance will properly fund public health with a dedicated health levy.
Free education Free education for all is a right, not a privilege. Student loans are out of control. Let’s drop the debt and give young people a good start in life.
Keep our public assetsThe Alliance will keep our public assets in public ownership for the common good of all people. We will even buy back some assets for the benefit of future generations.
Real democracy New Zealanders have the right to make decisions about their lives and their communities and not to be dictated to by anti-democratic private interests.
Professor Jim Flynn starts research into NZ carbon footprintAlliance taxation and finance spokesperson Professor Jim Flynn has just started research into New Zealand’s carbon emissions, responsible for climate change.Professor Flynn says “The agenda is: (1) Try to determine the target that would lead to a sustainable imprint on the environment - David King puts it at 2 tons of carbon per person; (2) This means that NZ must drop from 7.8 to 2.0 between now and 2050 or 1.45 per year or 0.435 during the term of the next government; (3) A detailed scenario of what economic dislocation this would mean; (4) And how it could be done with equity of sacrifice.
Message from Joe Fleetwood, General Secretary, Maritime Union of New Zealand“Working people in New Zealand are facing tough times. The cost of living is soaring, wages have fallen behind, and it is a great disgrace that we now have a society where many people are struggling to pay for the basics. The current Government is clearly anti-worker. However, the fight back is already happening. The campaign to take GST off food and introduce a financial transactions tax is a great effort to get some fairness and equality back into the system – congratulations to the Alliance Party as one of the organizers of this campaign for tax justice.”
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