
Funding councils
Local government is fundamentally broken because of the way councils are financed, how the costs and benefits of urban growth are divvied up, and the incentives thus created. Councils bear the costs of growth. Read more
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Local government is fundamentally broken because of the way councils are financed, how the costs and benefits of urban growth are divvied up, and the incentives thus created. Councils bear the costs of growth. Read more
According to Long’s Axiom, an elephant is a mouse built to government specifications. The saying is a corollary to the old gag about a camel being a horse designed by a committee. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich and Dr David Law discuss the details of the government's new housing package and what it will mean for the housing market, house prices and first home buyers. They also discuss the consequences for the rental market and the pitfalls of rent controls. Read more
One year ago, in a desperate rush, the government launched the wage subsidy scheme. It had to be done in a hurry; every other option was worse. Read more
On Tuesday morning, 23 March 2021, the Government announced a set of housing policies that, among other things would substantially change the tax treatment of interest payments on residential investment properties. The changes to tax policy are substantial. Read more
Tuesday’s announcement of new housing policies from the Government has just made New Zealand a far riskier place to do business, warns a policy paper released today by The New Zealand Initiative. A risky place to do business, written by Dr Eric Crampton and Dr Bryce Wilkinson does not assess the effects of these policies, rather it warns of the consequences of this approach to policy-making. Read more
It is hard to know where to begin, there is so much wrong with the Government’s housing package presented on Tuesday. I leave it to my colleague David Law to explain why the measures introduced will hurt housing affordability and supply. Read more
After eight weeks of poring over the 847 pages of analysis from the Climate Change Commission, two findings stand out. First, the Commission shows current policies, including the Emissions Trading Scheme (“ETS”), will deliver our 2050 emissions targets. Read more
The government is at it again. They blame everyone but themselves for high and increasing house prices resulting in low housing affordability. Read more
Suppose you have an apple orchard. You hire labour to pick and pack your apples. Read more