Am I better off with National or Labour?
Well I've just had a play on National's tax cut calculator and guess what.
I'm better off with National. Well in 2006 I am, by about 67 cents every two and a half weeks - about the same as Labours weekly tax cut in three years time. Except I get it in 2006. But that amount is not including my small student loan. I'm better off under National on that as well. Even if we had six kids I`d be better off with National in 2006 on my meagre salary.
But come 2007 I`m better off with Labour . Hang on, did I just say I'm better off with Labour? Yes, I`m $500 better off with Labour. Yes, $500 better off.
Hold on. National is going to scrap the carbon tax. According to Nationals Nifdty tax calculator, this will "save households $500 a year". Well, there goes the $500 that I was going to get for being "better off with Labour".
I'm not going to be better off at all, am I? National and Labour give my family pretty much exactly the same as each other. I`ll have to have more kids to be better off with Labour and double my income and get rid of the kids to be better off with National. But what if I got a secondary job and had a reduced secondary tax. I`d be even better off with National. But I may not get the accommodation supplement and my working for families money may reduce so I'm not sure how much better off I`d be. But I`ll still get my In -Work payment as part of working for families in 2007 so I may be better off with Labour.
But National says it may keep part of Working for Families. That may include the In work payment.It may not.So all of a sudden I'm better off with National - but I may not be.
I'm confused. I'm not voting either National or Labour now. Im better off with both of them. In fact I`d be even better off with United Future with their income splitting for tax purposes. Shall I vote for them?
4 comments:
Dave, the glass is half full.
It's not that your not better off with Labour or National - you'll be better off with either of them.
Maybe vote for a party advocating a simpler tax structure?
Dave, I also think United Future’s income splitting policy is best. However, even if United Future keeps 8 MPs which is unlikely there is little likelihood of it being implemented.
If tax is your main issue, only a vote for one of the two major parties will affect tax policy.
You also raised avery good point regarding the carbon tax.
Chuck
Dave,
It all depends on how you define 'better off'. The fact that our politicians are busy buying our votes with a few dollars shows the poor state of our political thinking.
What needs to be disclosed and discussed are the underlying philosophies that drive the parties.
I doubt they'd ever do that for two reasons: soggy brains in most voters and questionable or hazy philosophies in the parties.
Cheers,
Peter
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