The Green Party has launched its economic policy, saying it will lower income taxes, instead taxing pollution and waste.
The policy includes a plan to make the first $10,000 of income tax, free, which the Greens claim would deliver $20 a week more to all taxpayers than Labour's tax cuts.
Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons says the party wants to reform the tax system so everyone pays less income tax. She says the party's tax policy shifts tax off incomes and business profits, and on to waste, pollution, scarce resources and speculation.
"The revenue will be partly replaced by levies on commercial water use and by a capital gains tax on all investments except the family home; and by a range of levies on scarce resources, waste and pollution, to be determined by an Ecological Tax Reform Commission," Fitzsimons says.
The economic policy also includes:
- Allowing only citizens and residents to buy New Zealand land.
- More state housing investment to retain jobs in the construction, timber and other industries
- Investment in insulating and upgrading homes to improve health and reduce power bills
- Investing in building better public transport systems rather than new roads
- Upgrading the rail system so that it can carry more freight and passengers
- Requiring the NZ Superannuation Fund to invest more of its funds in New Zealand
- A commitment to local purchasing of NZ goods and services
- Conditions around the deposit guarantee to discourage irresponsible lending.
