KASSIE MACKAY | Politics
BACK ON TRACK
The Government is getting on the front foot as it embarks on the road to Election 2026, pulling together a working group that will spearhead policy development in the field of not-taxing.
Following a series of internal discussions and some collaboration with ACT Party colleagues, the National-led coalition has decided that not taxing New Zealanders will be its primary focus for the forthcoming election.
What remains unclear is the vocabulary to be used for this not-taxing policy, as public opinion suggests words like ‘levy’ and ‘tax’ are losing currency with voters. One astute voter told the Whakataki Times: “I think tax and levy might be special words, with different letters and stuff, but actually meaning the same thing.”
The Government appears to be aware of this public perception. Insiders are reporting that dates have been set for a series of meetings, where words will feature prominently on the agenda.
The same inside sources say specialist lexicographers will be included in the working group, alongside expert linguists from leading universities. They were careful to note, however, that these individuals would be consulting from a personal viewpoint only, so as to avoid the perception that experts are involved at any point in National’s policy-making process.
There is no word yet on whether high-priority synonyms have been identified ahead of the non-tax terminology working group, though unconfirmed rumours suggest ‘mini-levy’, ‘charge-ish’ and ‘billy’ are all on the table.
More to come.
