Monday, April 27, 2009

Labour lines up behind Geoffrey Palmer

Labour is supporting Geoffry Palmer's attacks on alcohol consumption, in particular, a tax hike.

Increasing tax on alcohol was about making those who buy alcohol pay for the harm it does, Ms Dalziel said, and there needed to be debate about whether this was the right option.

As previously stated, the use of alcohol is not evil in and of itself. Ms Dalziel's reasoning may seem sound at first glance but why not apply it to food and cars.

Let's hike the tax on food to pay for the harm it does to over-eaters; let's hike the tax on cars to pay for the harm caused by bad drivers. In fact let's hike the tax on cars to pay for the damage drink drivers do. After all it was the car as much as the alcohol that 'caused' the crash.

The problem is people and how they behave. The alcohol, the car, the gun, the cigarette, the food, etc., etc., are all incidental. The more we spread the burden of bad behaviour consequences, the more people will indulge in it.

Here is something else to think about. The tax on cigarettes far exceeds the cost of treating smoking-related health problems. Smokers are a cash cow. More than 70 percent of the retail price of cigarettes is tax. A lot higher than the tax on alcohol. Under Labour's desired option, are users of alcohol going to be the next one?

7 comments:

Andrei said...

Labour never met a tax it didn't like

Will de Cleene said...

Labour are still sticking the finger up their working class vote. Idiots.

Manolo said...

Letter sent to the DomPost yesterday:

Dear Sir,

No surprises here. A commission headed by a former Labour Prime Minister could not advocate anything but increased taxation, more regulations, and further state intromission in the lives of its citizens.

Mr. Palmer does not appear to remember his party was trounced in the last election and a majority of New Zealanders rejected its nanny-state policies. Chardonnay socialists and wowsers of his ilk are always ready to tell others what to do.

Will the new minister heed the report’s recommendations or will he consign it to the rubbish bin, where it belongs?

Yours in liberty,

Mark.V. said...

Buy shares in home brew kit manufacturers, its got to be a winner.

Blair said...

Mt Albert is full of young, Labour-leaning single folk who drink. Labour is not doing itself any favours.

James said...

Mark.V. said...

Buy shares in home brew kit manufacturers, its got to be a winner."

Way ahaed of ya white man....I've been distilling spirits for over 10 years and everytime tax goes up I make new "friends" who I "gift"my product too.....and they "loan" me money and never ask for it back....joy!

Free market Capitalism thanks shortsighted Statism for its continued growth yet again....

;-)

Alan said...

The more 'nanny' state intrudes on
citizens' every day life, the
quicker the slide from socialism to
communism and a totalitarian state.
What ever happened to personal
responsibility?