Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

You know it must be a slow news week when tax spends so much time in the headlines. But no matter which major party finds itself in government after next year’s election, it looks increasingly likely we’ll see changes to our tax system.Even though it’s not really true, New Zealand likes to think of itself as a relatively egalitarian society. We don’t have a formalised aristocracy or thousands of years of baked in class divisions. Most New Zealanders are taxed on the expectation that the money they give shouldn’t be squandered, and that the tax they pay will be fair, relative to everyone else.If fairness is the measure, and if fairness is what the majority of voters expect, then maybe we’re about to get it. Or, at least something close. National and Labour both look likely to introduce tax policies which appeal to a sense of fairness.Let’s start with Labour. To be clear, the party hasn’t confirmed its position, but Revenue Minister David Parker is beginning to lay the ground work for tax reform that might impa