Taxpayer Talk

In our newest episode of Taxpayer Talk, Jordan sits down (in-person!) with Helensville MP Chris Penk who has written a book investigating the claim that the Government had "gone early and hard" in its fight against COVID-19. Flattening the Country is available at https://chrispenk.national.org.nz/flattening_the_country .  Support the show

We're giving taxpayers the opportunity to get to know their MPs beyond photo-ops and party-line speeches. In this episode, Islay Aitchison interviews Melissa Lee MP.  Support the show

By many measures, socialist ideas are more popular than ever, with academics and increasingly hip activists unashamedly promoting the collective ownership of wealth and centralised government-led decision making. Louis has a discussion with Dr Kristian Niemietz from the Institute of Economic Affairs, who has written a book named 'Socialism: The Failed Idea that Never Dies' . Support the...

The Taxpayers' Union sat down with Todd Muller for a podcast interview just a few days before he announced his leadership bid. He described himself as "broadly socially conservative, and from an economic perspective reasonably liberal", and discussed his upbringing, career, and the political challenges of bridging the urban-rural divide. Support the show

We're giving taxpayers the opportunity to get to know their MPs beyond photo-ops and party-line speeches. In this episode, Islay Aitchison interviews Simon O'Connor MP. Support the show

The Taxpayers' Union's Consulting Economist Joe Ascroft, and former Treasury (now Taxpayers' Union) Analyst Neil Miller, sits down with Jordan Williams to discuss Budget 2020, the economic and political risks, and what it says about the Government's election strategy. Support the show

On this episode of Taxpayer Talk, Jordan Williams interviews Tim Hazeldine and Eric Crampton. They discuss Auckland's CBD Rail Loop, incentives for infrastructure spending and Thursday's Budget. Prof Hazledine’s opinion pieces referred to are here: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/ideasroom/2020/05/11/1162413/tank-the-tunnel https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objec...

Should Parliament step in to enforce a nationwide rates freeze, what's happening in Botany and should our relationship with China change? Islay Aitchison interviews Jami-Lee Ross. Support the show

We're giving taxpayers the opportunity to get to know their MPs beyond photo-ops and party-line speeches. In this episode, Islay Aitchison interviews Paul Goldmith MP. Support the show

Taxpayer Talk is back. This week Jordan and Joe interview Act MP David Seymour on the worrying signs of the politicisation of the Reserve Bank, and Grant Robertson's suggestion of monetising the Government's debt.  Support the show

We're giving taxpayers the opportunity to get to know their MPs beyond photo-ops and party-line speeches. In this episode, Islay Aitchison interviews Ginny Andersen MP. Support the show

We're giving taxpayers the opportunity to get to know their MPs beyond photo-ops and party-line speeches. In this episode, Islay Aitchison interviews Chris Bishop MP. Support the show

What is quantitative easing, and why are markets in New Zealand and abroad seen a recent bounce after dramatic falls due to COVID-19? For an in depth look at how markets are responding - including their implications on housing and inflation here in New Zealand, Jordan and Joe are joined by Bevan Wallace, Executive Director of Morgan Wallace. Bevan’s recent explainer on QE and inflation is availabl...

The conversation around how and when to raise the lockdown has generated some unenviable problems for policy makers, none more so than how to value the lives of those saved by lockdown versus the jobs and businesses it will destroy. Dr Bryce Wilkinson joins the podcast to discuss his latest paper, which helps to shed some light on how these calculations of life and death are made. You can read Dr...

Spending of taxpayer money has gone through the roof as the Government helps businesses through the COVID-19 crisis. How concerned should New Zealanders be? And how does our response compare to other countries? Louis interviews local Economist Joe Ascroft and Daniel Bunn of the Tax Foundation (based in Washington DC) - who is leading their project Tracking Economic Relief Plans Around the World du...

With most businesses unable to operate, we discuss the threshold of what can be open and what can’t with National’s Economic Development Spokesman, Todd McClay. Support the show

Despite the national health and financial emergency, most councils are still planning to hike rates - some up to nine or ten percent. Louis Houlbrooke interviews Hutt City Councillor Chris Milne & Christchurch City Councillor Sam MacDonald. Support the show

In this episode, we talk to Dr David Law (Research Fellow) and Dr Eric Crampton (Chief Economist) at the New Zealand Initiative thinktank. Dr Law has just published a paper, Policy Point: Short-time work to maintain employment and Dr Crampton a Research Note:  Effective Treatment: Public policy prescription for a pandemic .  Both join us to discuss their papers, as well as why current calls from l...

The PM has just announced a move to level 3 and then level 4 COVID-19 alert level. We interview Dr Matt Boyd, a specialist in health economics and global catastrophic risk, and Dr Don Brash, former RBNZ Governor.  Support the show

Michael Reddell is a former Board member of the IMF, and Head of Financial Markets at the RBNZ. He sits down with Jordan Williams and Joe Ascoft to discuss his recent and radical proposal for government intervention and taxpayer-funded support for the duration of the COVID-19 downturn. Michael blogs at https://croakingcassandra.com the proposals referred to are available here: https://croakingcass...

Taxpayers' Union member and Sunday Star-Times contributor Damien Grant doesn't like the economic package recommendation published by the Taxpayers' Union earlier in the week. He sits down with Jordan Williams and Joe Ascoft to discuss. Support the show