Quick rant thread.

[zero 1162]

National campaigned against the regional fuel tax - they even had an advert that attacked Labours myriad of taxes, including the regional fuel tax.

National has promised to cancel the regional fuel tax if elected.

Heres the old advert from the election campaign;

 

[roony86 4]

15 hours ago, richard said:

taxcinda will help , people will be kicking there beloved cars to the curb soon

I reckon its gna get to $3 a litre in couple of years time

[zero 1162]

14 minutes ago, roony86 said:

I reckon its gna get to $3 a litre in couple of years time

Its already over $3 for 91 in some places;

 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/107701845/some-kiwi-motorists-shelling-out-more-than-3-a-litre-for-fuel

[aja540i 1906]

29 minutes ago, roony86 said:

I reckon its gna get to $3 a litre in couple of years time

You wont be able to get It for less than $3 a litre In a couple of years time, probably be closer to $4.

[Driftit 2078]

Just take the tax off the tax and I will be happy.

They were told a regional fuel tax would not work and that the rest of the country would be raised with it.

If you want a regional system to work it needs to be a toll system.
In the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) where I spend most of my time they have an electronic toll system called ezpass.
It's f**king great.  It allows them to adjust rates for peak times.  It allows them to build great highways.  It works.
It's all online too.  There are still booths for the out of area people though.

 

[richard 384]

It'll keep going up until only the die hard will pay for fuel a bit like the cigarette taxes. Look at $5pl

[Driftit 2078]

2 hours ago, richard said:

It'll keep going up until only the die hard will pay for fuel a bit like the cigarette taxes. Look at $5pl

NZ should just get into bed with Venezuela.

They have plenty of oil sitting around.  Not the best of governments at the moment though.

[gjm 3258]

I keep coming back to comparisons with Norway.

Larger land area, similar distribution and variable weather issues, comparable population.

Fuel there is (equivalent) $3.50 a litre.

However, as a general rule, they are a better run, better financed country. Better social structure, less crime, etc...

[Young Thrash Driver 1020]

29 minutes ago, gjm said:

However, as a general rule, they are a better run, better financed country. Better social structure, less crime, etc...

This is because 1) their government taxes the bejeezus out of them and 2) they didn't just say no more drilling for oil, oil royalties have made them an insane amount of cash

[gjm 3258]

25 minutes ago, Young Thrash Driver said:

This is because 1) their government taxes the bejeezus out of them and 2) they didn't just say no more drilling for oil, oil royalties have made them an insane amount of cash

Tax is much higher there, but they get a lot more for their money, too. It's almost an acceptance of a (benevolent?) government state - many countries don't like that idea, and want to have their freedom, pay less tax, and... Oh. And have all the benefits as well.

NZ is a small country, with infrastructure requirements matching many much larger countries. By infrastructure I mean roads and transport, education, health, and all the things that we are able to take for granted. That has to be paid for somehow, and lower population means it's a higher per capita cost than might be the case in other countries.

It's disappointing, at best. But perhaps one of the reasons there is a larger number of self-employed people in NZ than might be expected? That self-reliance can mean greater autonomy for the individual.

NZ needs either a renewable product the rest of the world wants (and it's more-or-less proven that dairy cannot be that product, long term) or NZ needs to become more independent in supplying itself. The UK has fairly categorically failed in this, becoming over the last 60 years  consumer state - I think NZ is in danger of doing the same.

 

[Jacko 2156]

I have a bunch of gangster bellends living up the road, Ive called the cops on them (111 and *555) over 6 times, I know the little street they live on but not the specific house. There are roughly 20 houses on it, so it wouldnt take the NZ police out sourcing to Sherlock to solve. Ive taken video and pictures of them. I bet you could eliminate those 20 houses down to the Housing NZ ones.....

Ive seen one of them threaten another guy with a knife, I assume over drugs.. 

Last week one of them was driving a stolen Yamaha sports bike through a park (it had a screw driver in the ignition), got the rego and gave it to the cops. If you own https://www.carjam.co.nz/car/?plate=B2LSN I know where it is...

They race dirt bikes in the parks and playgrounds in the area, tearing the snot out the grass and terrorizing everyone. Make a racket as well..

Yesterday they were over taking cars doing wheelstands, backwards and forwards like some sorta retarded game of chicken.

Been going on for months. Nothing has happened, the cops dont turn up (biggest police station in the country is 5km away). Its totally ridiculous. I bet if I went and hit up a friendly "real" gang they would come and sort these dipshits out quickly. 

Next step is next time I call the cops Im either - A - Telling the cops I killed one of them and see if they turn up. B - Telling the cops they have a gun and see if they turn up.

Maybe if they actually responded to crimes instead of dishing out 1kmh speeding tickets, they could get some better work stories.

 

 

 

[polley 916]

1 hour ago, Jacko said:

They race dirt bikes in the parks and playgrounds in the area, tearing the snot out the grass and terrorizing everyone. Make a racket as well..

Yesterday they were over taking cars doing wheelstands, backwards and forwards like some sorta retarded game of chicken.

 

 

 

Awww fukk. That's what I do too. Not on playgrounds though. 

[Matth5 471]

1 hour ago, Jacko said:

...

Apparently NZ's solution to reducing prison numbers is for police and government to cover their ears and avoid dealing with crime. 

[B.M.W Ltd 950]

One of the reasons I like my kilometer long driveway. I don't have to give a sh*t about what happens at the other end of it.

[zero 1162]

6 hours ago, gjm said:

I keep coming back to comparisons with Norway.

Larger land area, similar distribution and variable weather issues, comparable population.

Fuel there is (equivalent) $3.50 a litre.

However, as a general rule, they are a better run, better financed country. Better social structure, less crime, etc...

Norway makes its money from mining and exporting oil.

Labour is already shutting that industry down here, so that rules that out.

Our income comes mainly from dairy which is already being attacked by Labour and the Greens, so maybe that golden goose will be maimed.

The only way Labour knows how to increase income, is by raising taxes and borrowing more than before.

[Palazzo 477]

4 hours ago, Matth5 said:

Apparently NZ's solution to reducing prison numbers is for police and government to cover their ears and avoid dealing with crime. 

In the last 3 weeks, I’ve watched someone run a stop sign in front of a cop car forcing them to emergency brake and another dipshit panic brake on the motorway before driving straight across the cross hatched median/exit ramp split in front of another cop car on the exit ramp, in both cases the response was nothing.

i assume these are the millennial cops the older cops talk about who don’t like to get out of the car in case there’s a confrontation.

I spotted someone sniffing around one of my neighbours places and called the cops, they said they would send someone out, but not a priority if they were just walking around. I pointed out he had 10 guns on site and over 2000 rounds of ammo in his gun safe, I had 3 cars and a helicopter within 2 min.

[gjm 3258]

13 minutes ago, zero said:

Norway makes its money from mining and exporting oil.

Labour is already shutting that industry down here, so that rules that out.

Our income comes mainly from dairy which is already being attacked by Labour and the Greens, so maybe that golden goose will be maimed.

The only way Labour knows how to increase income, is by raising taxes and borrowing more than before.

Dairy is could be a sustainable product if appropriately managed, but over the last decade or more so many farmers have moved to dairy production that NZ now lacks for the production of other crops. And when dairy prices worldwide drop (as they have), or we have a disease outbreaks (such as mycoplasma bovis), or there's a drought, farmers then hold out their hands for subsidies (joining those receiving subsidies anyway). In the meantime, prices for other agricultural produce increases as availability decreases - the export market has a part to play in the availability, too.

As for Labour borrowing... I thought they paid down the national debt, only to have National skyrocket it beyond belief? National claimed it was a lower national debt to GDP ratio, which is true, until the GDP drops because of export or production issues, but the numbers are pretty terrifying.

Dairy itself isn't being attacked by Labour and the Greens - it is the irresponsibility of intensive dairy farming and the terrible impact that is having on the environment which they are calling to be addressed. The lack of relevant regulation over agricultural waste dumping into waterways meant farmers took the easy solution, and now they're complaining about being called out on it. National addressed this by altering the 'clean water' assessments (safe to wade but not to swim), but made little inroad into the root cause.

As for tax - Labour have broken their 'no new taxes' promise, but haven't done much National hadn't (net) planned to do.  And I'm seeing Labour pushing money towards teachers and healthcare professionals, areas which seemingly haven't been adequately addressed for a long time.

I feel NZ needs diversity and less reliance on imported product. That seems contrary to the National stance. I don't know what Labour plan to do in that area.
What diversity could usefully be encouraged, which won't impact the Godzone image tourism has worked so hard to promote?

[kwhelan 241]

Sit tight until we can start selling water at the same price as oil, it will happen then countries will be knocking begging 

[zero 1162]

1 hour ago, gjm said:

As for Labour borrowing... I thought they paid down the national debt, only to have National skyrocket it beyond belief? National claimed it was a lower national debt to GDP ratio, which is true, until the GDP drops because of export or production issues, but the numbers are pretty terrifying.

Labour campaigned on borrowing more than National, and also campaigned on paying down less debt than National, and campaigned on paying down debt slower than National.

Debt to gdp is the correct measure to use (this is what economists use), and by world standards ours is very low. This is due to the Bolger and Clark governments paying down alot of debt that had been racked up by mostly the Muldoon government, and due to strong global economic times in the decade before the global financial crisis, and due to good economic management through the aftermath of the global financial crisis.

To put it in perspective our debt to gdp is 22.2%, and peaked at 54.8% in the aftermath of the Muldoon era. Japan is at 253%, USA at 104%, and the UK 85%.

[zero 1162]

1 hour ago, gjm said:

Dairy itself isn't being attacked by Labour and the Greens

Yes it is - they cancelled the irrigation schemes, are introducing fart taxes, and are planning on limiting herd numbers.

[huff3r 347]

59 minutes ago, zero said:

Yes it is - they cancelled the irrigation schemes, are introducing fart taxes, and are planning on limiting herd numbers.

Exactly what he said. Attacking the unsustainable practices... 

[eliongater 718]

People doing things that devalue their car (e.g. changing wheels) but not updating the Trademe price... I’m sorry but I’m not going to pay the same price for less stuff

[M3AN 4016]

Depends on the wheels though right? I'm pretty confident you can add value with the correct aftermarket wheels.

In fact, because some BMW wheels look terrible it's actually occasionally mandatory to swap them out.

But yes, putting on cheap, soft reps is a no-no unless the originals are also included.

 

[eliongater 718]

@M3AN m parallels to vanilla e60 wheels with the wrong tyres on them...

[Young Thrash Driver 1020]

10 hours ago, Young Thrash Driver said:

This is because 1) their government taxes the bejeezus out of them and 2) they didn't just say no more drilling for oil, oil royalties have made them an insane amount of cash

I forgot... they don't have to pay for any Treaty claims, either. What is the opportunity cost in terms of hospitals or roads of that money that iwi now looks after?

Meanwhile the farmer bashing has started up which is just odd, I know the data moves around a bit but is clear NZ has some of the most environmentally friendly dairy farms (the sheep and beef farms are tops too) in the world. If you cut production or move to introduce other limits, the market won't accept having less product but will turn to more environmentally damaging sources. Any talk of NZ dairy not being "sustainable" is misuse of the word.

What this country needs is less government, not more. A monolithic bureaucracy like the UK is not a path to success. We cannot tax ourselves to success, Norway only works because of their oil. The Taxpayers Union figured out government manages to waste 30c out of every $1 they are budgeted for, before they begin to do whatever it is they are supposed to do; National rightly identified huge scope for bloated ministries to tighten their belts. Socialism can only work if it limits itself and lets capitalism get on with it- that is my theory anyway, socialism has failed every single time it has been tried so I can't be sure.

Anyway bed time for me... busy day tomorrow, I am training the cows to all line up backwards and sh*t into the river at once.