Rich Get Much Richer, Driving Inequality And Poverty
The 2025 NBR Rich List makes immediately obvious the need for a fair tax system, says the Green Party.
'The rich list is now worth more than one hundred billion dollars, while the Government has chosen to cut support to tens of thousands of the lowest income New Zealanders. It's time to tax wealth, and build a country where all of us can thrive,' says the Green Party's spokesperson for Finance and co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick.
'Poverty and homelessness doesn't come from nowhere. They are created by inequality. Christopher Luxon has put his foot down on the accelerator. By design, the rich are getting much, much richer while the poor are getting much, much poorer.
'We already know that the wealthiest households are able to arrange their finances to pay half the effective tax rate of regular New Zealanders. That means, proportionally, teachers, nurses, builders and firefighters pay more of their income to support our country's infrastructure than the billionaires the Prime Minister has chosen to celebrate today.
'The Greens are ambitious for an Aotearoa New Zealand where everyone has what they need to thrive. We can have free GPs, free early childhood education, free dental care and rapidly reduce climate changing emissions – if the rich pay their fair share.
'A wealth tax on just the ten wealthiest rich listers alone would pay for free GP care for all New Zealanders.
'Don't let the people laughing their way to the bank while everyone else suffers tell you what is possible. We all deserve so much better, and our Green Budget shows how,' says Chlöe Swarbrick.
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