Articles by Dr Don Brash

I have no difficulty understanding why many people are strongly in favour of a capital gains tax. They see a minority of New Zealanders enjoying the very good life, living in a luxurious home, going on international trips every year, driving a late model Lexus. They suspect that much of this wealth comes from “unearned” and untaxed capital gains, often on housing investment as a result of the enormous increase in house prices over the last 20…

A few months ago, I wrote a column highlighting some of the serious things which are going on under our collective noses to provide, or in some cases, continue to provide special privileges to those New Zealanders who chance to have at least one Maori ancestor – along with ancestors of other ethnicities in every case. I listed the continued existence of separate Maori electorates more than a century after their use-by date; a Parliamentary Bill…

Last month, I wrote about some common misconceptions about the profitability of the banks operating in New Zealand, and noted that the Big Four Aussie banks, while quite profitable compared with banks elsewhere in the world, are not wildly profitable in comparison to many other listed companies in New Zealand. I noted that other banks in New Zealand are not nearly as profitable, and that there are definite benefits to New Zealand in having a…

Every now and then, there’s a surge of concern, sometimes even anger, at the banks. They make too much money. Their profits go overseas. They no longer provide services in country towns. Their culture needs watching carefully by the regulators, lest they exploit their customers. They should be subject to more controls. I’m a bit hesitant to discuss these issues because I can too easily be accused of having a conflict of interest. I am…

Six months ago, I wrote a column about the five local referenda which defeated the attempt of five district councils to foist separate Maori wards on their districts. And about the open letter which Local Government New Zealand had written to the Government urging it to change the law so that citizens would no longer have the right to have a say on this issue. I decided to give the whole “Maori issue” a rest for the balance of the year. But a…

In recent months, we have seen a rash of strikes – teachers and nurses in particular, with other sectors suggesting that they may strike also unless the people who work in those sectors get a substantial wage or salary increase. Of course, people say, that’s what you’d expect when we have a Labour- New Zealand First Coalition Government. They’re a worker-friendly government, so naturally there’ll be more strikes. I don’t doubt that there is…