NZ should give tax cuts to higher incomes?

On average, everyone is neutral with significant nonconsensus between 462 voters.

Reasons To Disagree

Decreasing taxes on the rich, only help the rich. Decreasing the tax rates on the lower tax thresholds benefits everyone.. eg if there was no tax on incomes under $10000 then even the rich would be a few $ better off, but tax cuts to lower incomes would help the people who most need those tax cuts. The trickle down effect of rich to poor is not real, all low taxed 3rd world countries are full of a very few rich, and a starving majority.

The whole argument that higher taxes reduces incentives to get ahead is rubbish. Even if income over a certain point was taxed at 99% it would still be better to earn more, because at the end of the day you'd still be pocketing more money.

The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. This chiche has never been more true. so No!

This is discriminatory

The rich pay little or no tax now, in tune with the percentage of generated annual profits, due to their ability to pay for the right advice from accountants who have spent hundreds of years setting up the international financial institutes to allow the exploitive elite to now do by cunning what they used to do by forced slave labour

Until the much vaunted 'trickle down' theory starts to actually provide benefits to the very poor who need the economic leg up, tax the rich till they bleed.

Again this is discriminatory... make it even or forget it... as it is i think it sucks that the tax rate changes based on dollars earned.

Every tax cut is a tax cut to high incomes. If we don't tax the first $5,000 at all, isn't that a tax cut to high incomes as well? If you target high incomes specifically, is that because they somehow deserve the cut more than someone who desperately needs it (and in targeting high incomes specifically, continue to live in the same poverty?) The guy in South Auckland needs to be able to feed his family more than someone wants to buy their next SUV, or boat, or house.

I think a cut would help other people more than the rich people, but some have worked hard to get where they so why should they have to pay more in tax for there success.

We are screwed here as when you are in power you lie about the national average and give your selves pay rises while the main manual workers are screwed to keep the greedy ones living high on the hog. I will have to check my blind trust

Those on incomes above $120000 for each person in the household should pay 50% on any amount above when unemployment is above 1% exist and to help bring in a living wage of $18.40

No way, the rich just need to pay more tax to contribute to society's infrastructure and they are the ones that will make the gap between the 'rich and poor' different.

Reasons To Agree

Perhaps the question should be why do the higher incomes pay more tax in the first place ? This penalises the ambitious. The higher income pay most of the tax should should be entitled to the rebates first. 25% of the countries tax is paid by the top 5% of the population yet where does the rebate go ?

A fair contribution from everyone, something like Poll Tax. Why should someone who works hard for his future has to pay more? Some kind of penality for working hard?

Those that earn higher incomes tend to perform occupations that no-one else can do, or work hard, or have high risk. There is a reason for their higher income. Let them keep it.

This is not a rich v poor situation. This is a typical NZ 'have and have nots' issue. Person A has worked hard and strived to be the best and hopes to be renumerated accordingly in their chosen field compared after years of hard slog at University / tech. Person B who has through their own choice has mucked around, not finished school, is lazy beyond lazy and willingly decided they will just plod. You can not expect those so called 'rich' people to foot the bill - NZ'ders should not be dragged down to be equal - everyone's is different. Behind wealth most times is sheer bloody hard work and diligence and ongoing study and years of sacrificing only to have someone say 'how come you have got this and I haven't!!!!!!! I ask you this - why do you think droves of young talented NZ'ders leave town - because other countries promote their talent, give them a tax break, look after them and their money isn't going to losers to make them feel more at our level. Solution: For those less fortunate and with more disadvantaged backgrounds who show excellent talent and want to get ahead - govt funded scholarships to assist and ongoing support. Dont make us pay for it!!!!!!!!!

Apparently the 'Disagrees' aren't interested in a fair society - Everyone should be taxed at the same flat rate. Why should you have to pay higher tax just because you work harder or are better qualified? Flat tax rates would reduce tax fraud - it's pretty difficult to 'miscalculate' a fixed percentage.

We need to encourage and retain people who build and run the businesses that employ people. If we continue down the path that Labour is hell bent on - supporting the lower income earners so they can afford a lifestyle they don't earn, and taxing the higher earners to support the others, we will end up with a workforce skewed towards the lower income end.

Bring in a flat tax. It's the only fair form of taxation.

BAD QUESTION - typical Hobson's choice! TAX SHOULD BE REDUCED ACROSS THE BOARD.

While I agree that the tax for the rich should be reduced, it makes little difference when the tax to spend rate is so preposterous that others would want a change to reduce tax on lower wages as well. While it is true that there are people who are born into difficult parts of society, those said parts were created by the welfare state. If said socialist state didn't exist, than the poor would have no choice then to stay at home longer and make smarter choices in life before putting themselves into unfortunate situations.

Should be the same tax for everyone. The GDP growers (mainly higher tax bracket payers) and the GDP drainers (welfare etc). If higher income people are paying more tax the lower income are less worried about welfare cuts. NZ really has a poor attitude in some aspects (I'm not an immigrant, I'm 10th generation kiwi). Because of the higher bracket paid now, higher incomes should DEFINATELY have a tax cut to the same rate as the lower incomes. And I'm not being bias as a high income earner, I'm a low income earning realist. I don't see how's it's fair on the ambitious!

Dare I say it, but I think Labour's income tax policy makes more sense to the economy than National's. The very highest tax bracket (>150K)be taxed at a higher rate (it is much fairer than the old Labour policy of having the highest income tax bracket at 60K.

All tax is theft

I think NZ should have a flat tax rate. To motivate people to work harder. Nowadays even if you work so hard until you have blood sweat, you get taxed really high that its not even worth it...