Chris Hipkins says it's 'inane' to rule anything in or out
-
Loading... - Watson Krisztina
- 03 Feb 2023
- 54 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is refusing to rule anything in or out when it comes to potential tax changes in this year's Budget, or campaign promises ahead of this year's general election.
His predecessor Jacinda Ardern in 2019 ruled out a capital gains tax as long as she was in charge, and was also happy to rule out ever raising the retirement age and a wealth tax in this term of government.
But Hipkins - who hasn't been in the job two weeks yet - told RNZ's Nine to Noon that in politics, it was "inane" to rule anything in or out.
"One of the things I have always tried to do in politics is not play the 'rule in, rule out' game, because events change things and governments need to adapt and respond."
He used Covid-19 as an example.
"If you had of said to me five years ago, 'Will you rule out ever closing new Zealand's border?' I would have said, 'Yeah of course - it seems like a ridiculous idea.'
"Then a global pandemic happened and that's exactly what we were forced to do. So I think governments have to adapt and evolve and respond." Read More…
