Time to practise Robin Hood tactics

Re: ‘Something is out of whack here', The Weekend Sun, January 4, 2019. Well, I totally agree with A Bourne of Bethlehem.

Yes I certainly remember the days – late-1960s and 1970s when rents were cheap – at $4 to $6 per week! Mothers stayed home to mind the kids and life was truly sweet when the then-Government offered young families the ‘right to cash in their family benefit. Wow wee – this gave them a deposit to buy a section and build a house! What a true prize.

And my husband, a teacher, was able to take the family away in the Christmas holidays to stay at a motel for two weeks and often hire a bach up at Cooks Beach for another 2 weeks.

So what has happened? This is what I know, power bills are horrific and we can't use wood-fired barbecues, rents are honestly disgusting, public schools have fees, and private schools receive Government support as well? This was not so in the 1950s.

How do we correct the system? The whole country must stand up and object to directors' salaries – they don't need – as they already earn great money. Cut, cut and I repeat cut!

Legal fees - You Know we have triple the lawyers per capita than Japan… mmmm...

Clean up housing for the lower-income families – halve their rents – and reinstate no medical charges for families – nothing was charged 1950-1970s.

It really is time to practise Robin Hood tactics.Tax the higher-income earners and don't let them off the hook. They will just have to resort to one car and fewer holidays!

A Wicksteed, Bellevue.

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9 comments

LETS ALL JUST BLUDGE OFF THE OTHERS!

Posted on 11-01-2019 10:40 | By crazyhorse

What an amazing letter, and written with such sincerity, the "state" pays for everything!, that means us, the people who pay the taxes, the people who take responsibility, educate themselves , have only the children "they" can afford to raise, there are people in NZ in real need but welfare or government is not a right or lifestyle, the attitude of this letter writer begs belief!. Yeah right tax the high earners they educated themselves or just work hard to prop up the losers that won't and I don't mean the real people in need!.


I had to re-read it..........

Posted on 13-01-2019 20:35 | By groutby

........to confirm if the writer was actually serious. I share the views of crazyhorse in regard to the assumption that those who actually have well paid jobs with a future, should be punished for doing so!..yes there are (and always will be even in Communist countries,) people who are 'generously' rewarded in some cases for seemingly doing little, but nonetheless to suggest reducing such salaries for those lucky enough and probably paying high taxes now is just nuts!.. To try and compare living today to that of the 1950's is equally sad, do we want to return to 'post war' conditions, technologies and lifestyle?..I doubt it. No, everything in our garden is not 'rosey', but the harder you work to achieve, the larger the reward..all to many want 'free stuff' all the time, such letters do nothing to promote human ethics and standards at all.


It's not about bludging.

Posted on 14-01-2019 17:22 | By R. Bell

It's about equity. No one should be 'punished'nor should the state pay for everything. That is typical 'trumpian' nonsense intended to deflect the true intent of the above letter. The simple indisputable fact is that the single most important requirement for any young family, is now impossible to afford for even those on a decent wage. Neither groutby nor crazyhorse offer any answers to the total imbalance that has occurred from when the cost of a new house and section was equivalent to two to three times our annual wage in the sixties, to now, more like ten times. Corporate greed,shareholders greed, and government complacency all contribute. Rewards for "hard work"no longer deliver what is required. Sadly. Robin Bell.


.Tax the higher-income earners

Posted on 15-01-2019 14:04 | By crazyhorse

New Zealand has already suffered from our "high earners" leaving the country, I think it was called brain drain, , real estate in Auckland and Wellington is outrageously expensive and this is driven by investors mostly from overseas, Chinese probably no 1, if the government was serious it would do something about that, it is not up to your fellow K1W1's to bring up your children or pay for your housing unless you are not able to for a "reason!' it's blatantly obvious that a certain part of the population think they are owed a living this presents its self in the size of welfare based families versus working families if you are not working or have never worked and have 6 children then it is obvious that you expect the state, "us" to pick up the bill, responsible people take responsibility for themselves and their families.


Great quote from Denis Waitley

Posted on 16-01-2019 07:07 | By crazyhorse

“A sign of wisdom and maturity is when you come to terms with the realization that your decisions cause your rewards and consequences. You are responsible for your life, and your ultimate success depends on the choices you make.” “When you blame others, you give up your power to change your life, or, to "better" it!.


Basic economics

Posted on 22-01-2019 17:49 | By waxing

It doesn't take much thinking to realise that unless you lift low and middle incomes by giving them a decent wage, economic growth opportunities are limited. Giving more money to the wealthy is wasted. They already have all the money they need to spend on essentials and luxuries. Give more money to those on low and middle incomes by raising their wages (instead of suppressing their wages as the National Government and its supporters did) and they will spend more on essentials and occasional extra items. This expenditure will be what lifts our businesses and makes a difference at all levels of our economy. Yes there is an equity argument. But there is also this essential economic one that more and more billionaires here and around the world are now arguing for. Why don't crazyhorse and groutby understand it?


want everything, except responsibility!

Posted on 26-01-2019 12:58 | By crazyhorse

Waxo bangs on again about "millionaires" as if they are a disease, maybe some of them are, heaps of charitable trusts set up in NZ that are operating under that guise to help out the people who can't or "wont" look after themselves, if these "charitable" trusts were investigated and made to pay a fair share of tax we would pump millions into the economy, everyone would be paying their "fair" share,, not up to people who strive for their own families to supply new homes and a life style to those who can't or "wont".


Try to be accurate and stay on topic

Posted on 30-01-2019 14:47 | By waxing

crazyhorse - I have never talked about millionaires "as if they are a disease". That is your characterisation and typically for you, a wrong one. It may help if you stayed on topic rather than finding any excuse to rave on about your pet prejudices. You obviously have a large amount of money to live your retirement in comfort. You are lucky then that you are not still a wage earner whose wage has increased so minutely over more than ten years that your spending power has gone backwards. Until we address that situation, New Zealand will go backwards with its wage earners. That was my point and that of many concerned people in high income/asset brackets.


HAS ANYONE NOTICED?

Posted on 31-01-2019 15:05 | By crazyhorse

Has anyone noticed with comment writers or letter writers such as Waxo, because I do not agree with lefty ideas and the new history of NZ it's "presumed" I'm prejudiced retired and well off, he missed out the being white bit, NZ is a small country with a small economy, we do reasonably well compared to the rest of the world, but, the fact remains, there will always people without everything they want, if they really need it NZ you "will get it" health or housing, but, you can't afford your own home or want 6 kids, that's just dandy go for it, but, don't ask your fellow K1W1's to pay for it, oh and for the record I'm still working, for myself and I enjoy it, and what I can do for my family.,


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