Mike’s Minute: National’s tax plan shows the battle of ideologies

What makes the National Party's tax plan a winner is severalfold.  1) It's substantive. It's not pocket change. For many it is a material boost to their income.  2) It starts from day one, so what you get arrives immediately, not after years.  3) The taxes aren't the sort of thing that will scare people. If an immigrant or investor pays more to enter the country, who will complain about that?  4) Some of the savings, the consultants and $400milion, are already on the table from the Government.  5) It allays fears around things like foreign house buyers. Nothing under $2million is taxed so it protects the first time buyer but over $2million and you pay for the privilege.  6) It's obvious. Look at the bracket changes, they are years overdue.  7) It’s a genuine ideological difference to the Government's way of doing things.  8) It's bold. It's bigger than everyone thought. Labour tried to freak us all out at $11billion, when it's actually $14billion.  9) It comes with one of the most powerful political messages you can get - if you want to work hard, you can get ahead.  The current Government destroyed that theory, favoured the few and based it on race and lack of contribution, hence the malaise that sits over the countryside today.  Which brings us to,  10) It sits bang in the centre of where they want it to be, which is middle New Zealand. Middle New Zealand not only swings elections, we have been the biggest victims of the past six years. Actually getting up and grafting has not been rewarded. This, at least in part, recognises and addresses that.  The area you can ask questions is when they rely on new streams of revenue i.e online gambling, you never know whether the figures are real until it actually happens. If the migrants don’t come and don't pay the visa fees and buy the houses with the new tax, then what?  But, in theory, it works.  In theory, if you build a good country they will always line up. They certainly lined up when we had a rockstar economy.  So, the ideologies. National says you can keep more of your own money and Labour says they will spend it on your behalf. It's a good contest of ideas.  But given what was at stake, given the build up and hype, this is National's best day yet and by some margin.  They were already ahead in the polls and tracking to Government so this will do them no harm at all. It pretty much does what they said it would.  Be a critic if you want. But you will be working pretty hard to find the cracks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.