Monday 17 November 2008

Dunne nothing to restrain IRD

Kiwiblog has the complete list of Ministerial announcements.  I've already made a strong start at slagging them all off -- and I trust I'll get around to completing the full set before too long -- accountant Mark Hubbard helps out by putting the boot into Peter Dunne-Nothing, who retains his job as head of the mafia.:

    I note with horror that Peter Dunne is probably to keep Revenue. Disaster.
He has been a weak Minister, which normally would be good, however, IRD is the most powerful Department of all and desperately needs to be reined in.
    Over eighteen years of practice I have been stunned by how callous IRD have become over the last three years, wielding their penalty system with a viciousness that is obscene. They will destroy the individual for no other reason than that they can; even when they will admit their interpretation of whatever applicable law makes a mockery of the intention of the legislator (and normally that intention was evil enough).
    With Dunne back in, nothing will change, and the war on the productive sector, where it really matters, will in fact gather pace. And not even for any such misguided (im)morality of the much bloodied altar of the 'common good', it's much more cold blooded than that - again, it is simply because bureaucrats can use what has become a very badly drafted Act, and are not bound to their own word, or past practice, and they can destroy, and do, because they can. No other reason necessary.
    And be warned, they seem to have developed, particularly, a disliking for the rural sector, which they judge as having had too many concessions in the tax law: as soon as a Department passes judgment such as this, independent of its Minister, and worse, on the only sector keeping our economy afloat, then we are in dire times indeed.
    I am gutted at this decision. As far as I'm concerned, the next three years represent the continuation of tyranny, just as I always thought it would be under the populist Key.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

And ...

Hon Dr Nick Smith: Minister for the Environment, Minister for Climate Change Issues.


That puts Nact more left than the Greens doesn't it?

Faversham said...

I agree. Didn't someone on this blog describe Smith's tongue as so forked he could hug a tree with it! The chance of a repeal of the RMA has dimimished.

Berend de Boer said...

Let alone any hope that the ETS might be abandoned. But that was already a given since we got only a review.

I don't know why someone who decimates his party gets rewarded with being minister again.

But guys, so far is exactly what was expected. John Clueless isn't gonna change a thing.

Blair said...

The ETS is toast. We are never going to let that fucker pass. And National know if they do it they will be a one term government. Watch us go.

Anonymous said...

National, a one term government? Guess it's Labour next time then.

It's all just the same as before.


LGM