Letters to the Editor: RNZ, CGT and Palestine

Otago Daily Times

a day ago

Today's Letters to the Editor from readers cover topics including the political bullying of RNZ, the perils of adopting a capital gains tax, and Palestinian families living in Ōtepoti. Budget cuts threat to a fearless RNZ
The recent $4.6 million Budget cuts (for each of the next four years) to Radio New Zealand's annual $67 million funding should concern all those who value fearless and independent public broadcasting. It raises the possibility that RNZ is being punished for not covering the news to the government's liking.
As a result of the cuts RNZ has had to lay off staff and reduce its programming. Legislation blocks politicians from interfering directly with RNZ's programme content but they may have found another way of showing the broadcaster to go easy on them "or else".
To those who think this observation is simple paranoia, I offer the following:
Recently, in a funding newsletter to supporters, Act New Zealand leader David Seymour spoke of his clashes with the media and his attempt to coerce them in to treating him more kindly. He went on to say " ... taxpayer-funded media don't get the message unless we send it to them. That's why we delivered a significant funding cut to RNZ in this year's Budget."
Winston Peters in April, as he was being subjected to a probing interview on RNZ's Morning Report , said to his interviewer: "You're paid by the taxpayer and sooner or later we're going to cut that water off too, because you're an abuse on the taxpayer."
In this year's trust survey RNZ was rated by the public as New Zealand's most trusted news brand (The Otago Daily Times was a close second).
It would be a pity if our most trusted news brand is cowered by this political bullying.
[Bill Southworth is a former executive director of the Journalists' Training Organisation.] Island time
Sitting here on a damp Matariki day in the South I reflect on the most Anglo-Polynesian holiday in modern times and one little thing I could do to add to it.
I would like to say to the New Zealand Geographic Board that in Lake Te Anau there is a group of seven impressive islands in the Middle Fiord (aka The Seven Sisters) that the Geographic Board recently labelled "Manea".
In the spirit of Matariki and Anglo-Polynesians everywhere, they could be named the Matariki Islands instead. Thanks but no thanks
May I thank Evan Alty (Letters ODT 23.6.25) for "allowing me to express my strong opinions". I reciprocate by extending to him the privilege of being wrong — again.
The short answer to Mr Alty's question of whether I can show that social disintegration is rife (his words) in countries that adopt a capital gains tax indicates to me that he does not receive the ODT nor watches or reads the news. The best performing countries without a CGT are Singapore and Switzerland.
The rest who adopt a CGT appear to be economic basket cases, where productivity is declining and debt is rising exponentially, e.g. Australia, USA, UK and Canada. New Zealand is on its way.
That is not to say that a CGT is the sole determinant for the decline of social and economic wellbeing throughout the "free" world — but it helps. Countries that adopt a low tax regime appear to succeed in most economic and social aspects.
Mr Alty is a retired solicitor who presumably sold his advice. He would then present his clients with a hefty invoice.
Those in the business of farming (by way of example) rely on building and growing their asset despite the vagaries of the marketplace. They can't present an invoice to their customers. New Zealand adopts a CGT at its peril. Eschew indifference, embrace doing right thing
My grandmother was a nine-months-old baby on an immigrant ship heading to Palestine from East Europe in 1933, escaping the horrors to come.
Today Palestinians are facing starvation and death and hardly have anyone to turn to.
Palestinian families living here in Ōtepoti have begged the government for visas to let them bring their loved ones to safety, only getting dismissive responses claiming "it's complicated".
This is the same government that eased the laws to fast-track wealthy investors into New Zealand.
Is this the kind of country we want to be? Turning away desperate people knocking on our door pleading for help?
Palestinians in our community can't sleep at night haunted with dread.
We live in an extremely cynical and morally bankrupt world, our governments are failing.
They are counting on you to stay indifferent.
Don't give them the satisfaction. The right thing to do is simple. No big tax changes seem likely
Tony Fitchett's response (Letters, 30.6.25) to Gerrard Eckhoff's fevered dissertation on the evils of taxation hits every button and should be required reading for politicians in particular.
However, the prognosis for the realisation of Mr Eckhoff's worst nightmares is not good.
Earlier this year two senior Labour MPs, Barbara Edmunds and Deborah Russell, embarked on a road trip to enlighten Labour Party members on the subject of capital gains and wealth taxes.
The double-act was carefully crafted to make it clear that some form of CGT, but not too extensive, was a possibility, but wealth taxes were off the table.
Just too difficult.
Don't even ask about inheritance tax, we were instructed as the show began.
More recently the Labour finance spokesperson has been noticeably coy about what and when a policy might be revealed, except to suggest that the end result should be fiscally neutral.
A depleted tax-pack of cards will be shuffled a bit. How exciting.
Clearly the fiscal anorexia that afflicts the present government is unlikely to be addressed by the next one, of whatever stripe. Local body choices
White elephant in the room: homeless people camping out in shop doorways and tenting on the Oval.
The candidates who honestly intend to care for our most vulnerable citizens will get my vote.
Clean waterways, lower rates, new infrastructure and impressive new libraries are all well and good.
Society will be judged on how we care for our weakest members.
At the moment we're failing miserably.
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