A tale of three Budgets

The New Zealand Government is currently enjoying the fruits of the highest tax take in NZ history. New Zealanders are paying 50% more nominal tax than they did in 2000. At the same time, says Michael Cullen, "we cannot afford tax cuts." Clearly, we also have the highest spend-up in NZ history as well. But "we cannot afford tax cuts."

Clearly all those on the mooch in New Zealand do not come cheap. And clearly also, taxing, mooching and spending are on the increase.

So how would you go about reining in this runaway train? Can it be done? Here's three Budgets demonstrating how, with a will, you could. I don't expect Michael Cullen to take a blind bit of notice of any of them.

The first is my own 'Gun-to-the-Head Budget,' which uses an idea of PJ O'Rourke's to cut spending down to size:

The secret to balancing the budget is to remember that all tax revenue is the result of holding a gun to somebody's head. Not paying taxes is against the law. If you don't pay your taxes you'll be fined. If you don't pay the fine you'll be jailed. If you try to escape from jail, you'll be shot. Thus, I - in my role as citizen and voter - am going to shoot you - in your role as taxpayer and ripe suck - if you don't pay your share of the national tab. Therefore, every time the govt spends money on anything, you have to ask yourself, ‘Would I kill my kindly, gray-haired mother for this?’

With that in mind, in descending order of virulence, here's:

1. My own 2001 'Gun-to-the-Head Budget': Would You Kill Your Mother to Pay Michael Cullen?
   
2. The 2005 Libz Alternative Budget, complete with accompanying press release and Q&A;
3. Liberty Scott's wussy Budget Wishlist, described by him as "more modest than a Libertarianz budget, but bolder than an ACT one I think."

Enjoy. And perhaps you moochers on whom the government is spending money might take some time to consider PJ's point.

TAGS: Budget_&_Taxation, Libz, Economics, Politics, Welfare