Submission: Ministry of Economic Development Discussion Paper: Review of Securities Law

The Business Roundtable does not propose to individually address each of the 204 questions presented in the Discussion Paper but instead address five key issues arising from it. These include: The public policy framework for evaluating New Zealand's securities laws; the scope of the securities laws; the substantive duties of disclosure; the standards of liability under the securities laws; and the securities law reform process. Read more

New Zealand Business Roundtable
19 August, 2010

The Dubious Benefits of Fiscal Stimulus

John Maynard Keynes once wrote: “There is no harm in being sometimes wrong – especially if one is promptly found out.” Unfortunately for the world, the problems with Keynes’ ideas were not discovered promptly, and the lessons were too soon forgotten as Keynesian thinking enjoyed a revival with the recent global financial crisis and subsequent recession. At the time of the Great Depression in the 1930s, Keynes advocated fiscal stimulus – higher government spending or tax reductions – to boost total spending in the economy and put the unemployed back into jobs. Read more

Roger Kerr
Otago Daily Times
13 August, 2010

New Insights on New Zealand’s Productivity Performance

In recent years Statistics NZ has done an excellent job of shedding light on the productivity performance of the economy. It made a further contribution with a release last month of productivity statistics at the industry level for the years 1978-2008. Read more

Roger Kerr
Otago Daily Times
30 July, 2010

Submission: Consumer Law Reform Discussion Paper

This submission focuses on making three high-level comments on the discussion paper: problem definition, the need for the law to protect reputable suppliers and customers alike, and the case for general and enduring statute law rather than for detailed law that can quickly become obsolescent. Read more

New Zealand Business Roundtable
30 July, 2010

Politics Should be about Doing What is Necessary

It’s often said that “politics is the art of the possible”, usually by politicians who know they should be doing something in the overall national interest but aren’t willing or able to do it. The contrast is with Winston Churchill’s statement, “It is no use saying ‘we are doing our best’. Read more

Roger Kerr
Otago Daily Times
2 July, 2010

Submission: Electoral Referendum Bill

The Business Roundtable is pleased that the government is giving effect to its manifesto commitment to hold another referendum on the voting system. This was expected by many voters when the mixed-member proportional (MMP) system was introduced. Read more

New Zealand Business Rountable
20 June, 2010

Tertiary Funding Policy at an Impasse

A fundamental law of economics is that you can control the price of something or the quantity supplied, but not both. We saw that law in operation in the old Soviet system, with rationing and queues, and during the Muldoon wage and price freeze. Read more

Roger Kerr
Otago Daily Times
18 June, 2010

Why the ETS Should be Deferred

Calls are mounting for the next phase of the government’s emissions trading scheme, due to commence on 1 July 2010, to be deferred. There are strong arguments for a temporary suspension of the scheme. Read more

Roger Kerr
Muriel Newman Weekly online
15 June, 2010

Budget is a Good Rolling Mall but No Game-Changer

The annual budget is the main statement of the government’s overall economic and social programme. So in the first instance it needs to be evaluated in terms of the government’s own goals. Read more

Roger Kerr
Sunday Star Times
23 May, 2010

OECD Tax Report Seriously Misinterpreted

Each year at about this time the OECD puts out a report on tax covering its member countries. Each year some media and politicians can be counted on to misinterpret it. Read more

Roger Kerr
Otago Daily Times
21 May, 2010

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