Same old, same old. The duplicitous dirty PR group NZ Taxpayers Union Inc. (or “the ACT party in drag” as one insider labelled them) keeps trying to pull sleazy stunts, in service of its paymasters.
An Australian fact-checking organisation has found Jordan Williams’ smelly astroturf operation recently misleadingly distorted the impact of a Green party tax policy. In AAP FactCheck’s report NZ lobby group’s claim distorts impact of Greens’ tax plan on households, they state: “A New Zealand lobby group is making a misleading claim that the Green Party’s tax policy will cost every Kiwi household more than $10,000.” when in fact …
… the tax changes would not affect all households equally.
Lisa Marriott, a tax policy expert at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington, said the TPU presented the impact of the Greens’ policy in a “simplistic and pretty inaccurate” way.
“Most of the Green Party taxes are targeted at specific groups, rather than the general population,” Professor Marriott told AAP FactCheck.
For example, the party’s so-called “super-rich tax” would raise $15.8 billion over four years, accounting for about half of the additional revenue collected, according to the document (p.9).
It states that the tax would be levied only on individuals with net assets exceeding $10 million, excluding the family home, and would affect 0.3 per cent of New Zealanders (p3).
So, as I said, true to form. Weasels and scumbags they are, the NZ Taxpayers Union inc. Despite Jordan Williams’ ‘distortions’ and ‘inaccuracies’ and ‘misleading’ claims suggesting an increased tax burden on every New Zealanders household, AAP FactCheck concludes: “The proposed changes would likely result in most Kiwis paying less income tax.”
Incidentally I love the AAP’s image of typical New Zealand family…
On a more serious note, this bunch of scummy political activists (TPU) have been feeding racist and other divisions in New Zealand for years. Disinformation researcher Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa has receipts. Always worth reading, his recent analysis, From ‘taxpayer citizenship’ to political infrastructure: Thoughts on a new report framing the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union points out how the dirty PR group and other sleazy entities/online toolboxes associated with Jordan Williams (like his awful astroturf ‘Auckland Ratepayers Alliance’ and ‘Free Speech Union’, and his misleading ‘The Campaign Company’ dirty PR shop) are at a kind of nexus of hard right, racist … um, I hesitate to use the word ‘thought’, but let it go.
These dishonest arseholes spew misinformation and distorted reality through social media, including Facebook (increasingly home of ‘doing my own research’ baby boomers), and other avenues. Using deliberately deceitful advertising and sock puppet robot accounts, as well as their cabal of cookers, they amplify, repeat and reinforce their bullshit claims, inflaming and alarming people, some idiots, and generally whipping up nasty, ill-founded attacks on those whom their paymasters oppose — women, Maori, environmentalists. (Shades of Carrick Graham, really.)
The noise is amplified by ghastly nasty trolls like those associated with Voices for Freedom and Reality Check Radio — the whole thing a negative, sucking flywheel spinning to keep people angry, stupid, distracted or unaware.
What’s a solution? That’s hard, because like their expensive, weaponised abuse of the Official Information Act, we need to retain freedom of speech. Too bad there’s not a ‘No Arseholes’ rule on New Zealand’s lawbooks.
– P
Facts are stated to the best of my knowledge and commentary is my honest opinion. Corrections or clarifications are always welcome by email. Comments are open, but may be moderated.
– Best wishes, Peter Aranyi
Archive (PDF) NZ lobby group’s claim distorts impact of Greens’ tax plan on households AAP FactCheck
Archive (PDF) From ‘taxpayer citizenship’ to political infrastructure: Thoughts on a new report framing the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union Sanjana Hattotuwa
