Punitive welfare legislation shows up need for Citizens Dividend or Basic Income

The new legislation against relationship fraud shows we are overdue to move to a Citizens Dividend, handed out unconditionally to individuals, according to the New Economics Party.

Spokesperson Deirdre Kent said the Bill, supported by both National and Labour, just highlights the need for a payment to all citizens where there is no asset testing, no means testing and no prying into the bedrooms of the citizens.

The legislation that would make both parties in a relationship responsible for welfare fraud will only result in tears. “Blaming and punishing doesn’t work and costs heaps in administration.”

“Everyone in our society has probably known someone that has defrauded the Social Welfare Department. The whole benefit set-up just invites beneficiaries to deceive WINZ because a couple gets more income if they live separately. We need a system where there is no financial benefit for those pretending to live apart. Our current targeted welfare system is no way to build a society which claims to value intimacy, honesty and strong families”, she said.

She said the New Economics Party wanted an unconditional Citizens Dividend for all individuals that was not means tested, asset tested or work tested. She said they believe that the benefits of the commons – land and the natural resources should be shared equally and this is a way of introducing an unconditional citizens income, small at first but growing.

She said New Zealand had three precedents for unconditional payouts. In 1948 every household was given a dividend because we had a particularly good wool cheque that year. The second was the Universal Family Benefit that existed from 1946 to 1991 when family support became targeted. The third was in 1977 when the unconditional National superannuation was paid to all over 65 without asset or income testing.

“British Columbia imposes a carbon tax and redistributed the revenue to all citizens and this is a popular policy.”

Petrol tax will backfire on Government

19 December 2012

Petrol tax hike for roads will backfire on government, says party

The announcement that an extra 9 cents excise tax on petrol will be to pay for the government’s Roads of National Significance will badly backfire on them, according to the New Economics Party.

Spokesperson Phil Stevens said that if an excise tax is tagged then it should be tagged for rail rather than roads, because road transport is not the future. He said ‘While it is important to put a correct price on fossil fuels to discourage their use, the public will know in their bones that the future isn’t expressways for more trucks. The future is rail and alternative transport fuels.’

‘When the Minister justified this hike by saying the CPI figure was the lowest for 13 years, noone is going to believe him. In fact our inflation figure is a not valid. It is artificially low because since 1999 the cost of land has been taken out of the CPI. Everyone knows that as land goes up, property prices rise and that means households pay more for their rents and mortgages. They know the real figure for inflation is much higher. Ask anyone with a mortgage where their household money goes,” he said.

For further comment phone Phil Stevens 06 326 9717 or 021 784 718

Asset Sales or River Sales?

Asset sales are really river sales

25 November 2011

If asset sales go ahead then we will lose control over our big rivers, according to Laurence Boomert, Wellington Central candidate for the New Economics Party.

“Not only is it bordering on treason to sell our precious assets, but there are rivers like the Waikato and the Waitaki involved too.

“There is a link between asset sales of our major generation companies and the risk of associated loss of public control of our rivers with that transaction. These are our sacred rivers, our taonga and are the source of much life. They are not a commodity to be bought and sold.”
“These publicly-owned energy companies have a very big influence on our hydro river catchments. On the Waitaki River, for example, Mighty River Power has legal claim over waters, they own big tracts of land, can have interests in irrigation supply networks and can secure “requiring authority” to purchase land that they need for their schemes.”  Selling 49% of Meridian means selling 49% of the Waitaki River. We don’t want the water to be sold.

“We don’t think that the majority of New Zealanders have made these crucial connections and therefore risk making under-informed decisions on Saturday’s election.”

For further comment phone Laurence Boomert 027 258 8807

Financial Transaction tax needed to stop obscene bank profits

Financial Transaction tax needed to stop obscene bank profits

 24 November 2011

“The ridiculously high profits announced by ANZ shows we are overdue in imposing a financial transaction tax”, according to Laurence Boomert, New Economics Party candidate for Wellington Central.

ANZ announced record profits recently despite difficult economic conditions.

“Every bank these days deals in derivatives and these trades are high volume and fast turnover. A small financial transaction tax should be imposed on every transaction,” said Boomert.

“ANZ’s website shows exotic financial instruments like spot minors and forward majors but few people understands their complications”, said Boomert.  “Banks are gamblers these days not innocent intermediaries between lender and borrower, especially since the removal of the firewalls that protected the savings and loans sides of their business from their rampant speculations.”

The Pacific Financial Derivatives page on Facebook tells you that retail Forex accounts can now be opened with a large or small deposit and leverage of 1 to 100 is allowed in most cases. “If this isn’t gambling then I don’t know what is”, said Boomert.

“The problem is that as banks indulge in reckless speculation and suck out their undeserved profits the real economy of production and labour is endangered”

For further comment phone Laurence Boomert 027 258 8807 E: laurenceboomert@xtra.co.nz

 

Growing Inequality Caused by the Money System

Media Statement 23 November 2011

Growing Inequality Due to Money System

To narrow the gap between rich and poor we need to change the money system, according to the New Economics Party candidate for Wellington Central.

“If children are going hungry and poverty is increasing then it is time to consider that there might be something structurally wrong. There it is – it’s the way we create money.  It is created every time a bank makes a loan and they create the principle but not the interest. There isn’t enough money in the system for everyone to pay off their debts at the same time.”

“Each round someone loses. The ones that miss out have to go to the bank for another loan. There are always winners and losers. We won’t close the gap until we change the money system.”

“The system is dog eat dog and the poor end up net borrowers while the rich are net lenders,” he said.

For further comment phone Laurence Boomert 027 258 8807

 

PM should stop protecting Banks

PM has to stop protecting Banks, says candidate

 Friday, 18 November 11

 

John Key should stop protecting Banks, according to the New Economics Party candidate, Laurence Boomert.

“More important than the teaparty scandal is the austerity measures that National will be implementing as our debt crisis lands next year. ACT of course, even if they don’t get into Parliament, will be prodding them for more heartless cuts to government spending.”

“Our country is going down the same path as Greece. There has been more borrowing under National than ever before and if nothing changes we will, like Greece, be reduced to being slaves of the banks.”

“Banks have benefited from a usury-based money system which can only increase debt exponentially. Banks create credit and then charge interest on the debt so the debt has to increase. And of course recently since the carry trade it has all escalated to grotesque proportions.

“Globally we are in a right pickle now. We have to realise the ‘Age of Usury’ is coming to an end. Attempts to rescue indebted country with more debt will only delay the day of reckoning”.

“The banks got us into all this mess and our Governments have been silent allies. When the people finally wake up to it all and start disbelieving experts like Don Brash and the IMF, we will finally get an economic system that doesn’t collapse. ”

 

For further comment phone Laurence Boomert 027 258 8807

https://neweconomics.net.nz