Russell Palmer Political reporter
Labour leader Chris Hipkins says National is lying in its adverts attacking them over tax policies, and has sought to defend the party’s economic record.
But he has avoided explaining exactly how the party would reduce debt, or why Labour’s polling has remained low in spite of infighting across the aisle.
Appearing for his usual Tuesday interview on Morning Report, Hipkins rejected the suggestion he was scared to talk about taxes.
“We’re campaigning on the introduction of a capital gains tax, which would be a significant shift to our tax system. But that is the only significant shift that we’re campaigning on making,” he said.
“It’s important that New Zealanders know what we’re proposing because the National Party are spending tens of hundreds of thousands of dollars spreading lies about the Labour Party’s tax plans.”
National has been on the attack in recent weeks with billboards and social media ads claiming the opposition would “triple your taxes”, with Labour’s capital gains tax as well as multiple policies from other left-leaning parties that Hipkins has ruled out.
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Calling an MP a liar is banned language in the debating chamber, but not outside it. Host John Campbell posed Hipkins a one-word question: “Lies?”
“They’re absolute lies,” Hipkins said.
“I mean, if you look at the hundreds of thousands of dollars they’re spending on billboards and online advertising. They are literally telling lies.”
National’s campaign chairman Simeon Brown denied the billboards were lying.
“No, not at all. No, I mean the person who’s not telling the truth is Chris Hipkins,” he said.
“Saying he’s only got one tax when he’s got a capital gains tax, a business tax, and now he’s campaigning on a bed tax, so that people who want to have a weekend away, or have to travel to go to a funeral, are going to have to pay a tax just to travel in their own country.”
Asked about a bed tax – which councils have been calling for – Hipkins recently said that would be up to councils. However, a law change would be needed to enable that.
Brown on Monday said that meant Hipkins was saying he would implement a bed tax, as “if he cannot rule out a bed tax, then it is clear that Labour will introduce one – along with a suite of other new taxes to pay for Labour’s spending addiction”.
Hipkins also sought to defend his party’s economic record but could not articulate concrete steps for reducing government debt, saying they would do so “by balancing the books, by basically making different decisions to this government”, he said.
“We’ve already been announcing several of them. The current government are proposing billions and billions of dollars more cuts. New Zealand can’t afford three more years of more cuts under National.”
Hipkins refused to answer Campbell’s repeated questions about his and Labour’s low polling, given the errors and coalition clashes plaguing National over recent weeks.
Hipkins avoided saying anything about what could be weighing Labour down, instead obliquely referenced the party’s newly announced slogan “better starts now”, and attacked National.
Hipkins: “My message to New Zealanders: Better is possible … they don’t have to settle for more cuts, more job losses, more division under a re-elected National government…”
Campbell: “Times are tough. The cost of living is high. There is a sense that people are struggling. Why is Labour going down?”
Hipkins: “Well, what’s very clear from recent developments across the other side of the aisle is that only Labour can lead a government that’s focused on the future-
Campbell: “Insidiously and magnificently ignoring my question. Why is Labour going down?”
Hipkins: “… and that’s unified and that’s not focused fighting within itself, we’re actually focused on fighting for New Zealanders. If they cannot organise themselves, they cannot organise the country.”
Campbell: “Can I have another go? Go on. This time: you’re down, all of that stuff … National have had a terrible time. The worst weeks in their time in government. Why is Labour down 1.8 percent during that period?”
Hipkins: “And all the National Party is offering is more of the same: more, more infighting, more squabbling amongst the coalition partners.”
He had earlier mounted a defence of the party’s economic management, saying all revenue from the CGT would go towards preventative spending in health, and that the party had set out how it would pay for each of the policies it had announced.
“Like the public transport fare caps: that will be funded from from the National Land Transport Fund. So we’ve been very clear as we’ve made every announcement.”
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