Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth.
Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.
Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated so often you wonder if it even registers that the words being said are not true. It’s all a bit of a game, and nobody likes to use the ‘L’ word.
But there are limits.
Yesterday on TVNZ’s Breakfast, and on RNZ, the Prime Minister told such a barefaced, blatant lie that it should be called out for what it is.
Christopher Luxon told the nation that his government was giving property owners tax cuts in order to help renters.
Despite the fact that nobody believes that giving landlords a big pile of cash, and we’re talking about an almighty sum of money in the form of interest deductibility, will result in them passing it on to tenants.
It’s completely, and utterly, laughable. We’re dealing with an exception to the rule that what goes up, must come down.
The costs associated with providing a rental, for example making it warm and healthy, are passed straight onto renters, naturally. But it most certainly doesn’t follow that landlords getting a great big tax reduction will cut rents - it’s just never going to happen.
The fact that the Prime Minister would sit there on Breakfast, all dewy-eyed at the plight of renters, that he cares so much about, was insulting. Like a fish across the face.
You know it. I know it. And if he was being honest about it - Christopher Luxon knows it.
Jack Tame asking the PM prior to the election whether he’d be giving his tenants rent reductions as a result of the policy, and he looked at Jack as if the thought had never even occurred. Which I’m sure it hadn’t, because nobody’s going to do it.
If you’d like a bit of an explainer on interest deductibility, and the government’s reversal of the last government’s changes, TVNZ have one here. Alternatively there’s a good description of what’s happening from Newshub:
While we’re assessing credibility, in addition to Luxon’s honesty, we should also consider the work of Nicola Willis that has resulted in an $800m shortfall.
There’s a hole in your budget, dear Nicola. And goodness it’s a large one.
The problem for the Finance Minister, credibility wise, is that there are no surprises associated with this. Nicola can’t blame this on cost overruns that occurred under Labour. She can’t point fingers across the aisle, wailing that it was a fiscal cliff the left hadn’t funded. This is all 100% on National. Especially Willis and Luxon.
There are really only two possible explanations:
That Nicola Willis is so inept that she completely botched the costing of her own tax policy and the cost is actually 50% higher than she told us. In which case she should resign for gross incompetence.
Willis and Luxon knew the number was wrong but told voters it was right in order to get elected. Which is fraudulent.
If it’s option 2, that they knew it would cost more but pretended it wouldn’t for political expediency, then they’ve been elected under false pretenses.
Surely we should be able to ask for a replacement under the Fair Trading Act? This one doesn’t do what was advertised.
I’m kidding of course. Sadly the situation with people like Luxon and Willis seems to be - I’m not responsible for my lies, the onus is on you to catch them.
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