Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Do New Zealanders really want a capital gains tax?

Well, I don't know what's worse for Labour - the fact that they've announced a capital gains tax policy again today, or the fact that someone leaked it and forced them to announce it in a rush.

Obviously, it does suck for them that somebody leaked it first, because it means that they were so unprepared that they had to rush-job announce it in an email at 3:05 this morning.

And then Chippy had to cancel his morning radio interviews so that he didn't have to answer questions about this until he was ready - and then they had to get ready and call themselves a rush-job press conference where they all looked furious, and they stumbled over their words.

Honestly, you haven't seen such a sad line-up of people announcing something they're proud of.

This is the second policy announcement that Labour has managed to stuff up in just about a week's duration - which hardly looks convincing, does it?

But then it also sucks for them that this is the policy that they're taking to the election, because I don't care what the Beltway in Wellington tells us - I do not believe that a majority of New Zealanders want a capital gains tax.

No matter how many times Labour pitches it, no matter how many times they try to convince us that everyone else wants it, why don't you want it?

And you know I'm right when I say this, because look at how Labour's selling this today. Even they sound like they're not so sure that we want a CGT, because they've double-policed it.

Today, they've told us what they're going to spend the money on, which is three free GP visits a year for us - basically to try and sell it to us, in order to convince us that a capital gains tax is good for us.

And also, just look at how gleeful the National Party sound. They know that this made 2026 just a little bit more likely for them.

What I now want to know though - is who leaked this to the media?

Was it someone who was just really excited that they knew something, so they leaked it to the media and blew up their own party's big announcement - or was it someone who disagrees with Labour and wanted to blow up their own party's big announcement?

Either way, they've just made an unconvincing policy even less convincing today.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Together do for Sellen, Well, I don't know what's worse
for Labor the fact that they've announced a capital gains
tax policy again today or the fact that someone leked
it and forced them to announce it in a rush Now.
I mean, obviously it does suck for them that somebody
eleked it first, because it means that they were so
unprepared that they had to rush job announce it in
an email at three minutes past five this morning, and

(00:20):
then Chippy had to cancel his morning radio interviews so
that he didn't have to answer questions about this until
he was ready, And then they had to get ready
and call themselves a rush job press conference for half
past ten, where they all looked furious and they stumbled
over their words. Honestly, you haven't seen such a sad
lineup of people announcing something they're proud of. This is
the second policy announcement that Labor has managed to stuff

(00:43):
up in just about a week's a week's time, a
week's duration, which hardly looks convincing, does it. But then
it also sucks for them that this is the policy
that they're taking to the election. Because I don't care
what the Baltwey and Wellington tells us, I do not
believe that a majority of New Zealanders want a capital
gains tax, no matter how how many times Labor pictures it,
no matter how many times they try to convince us

(01:03):
that everyone else wants it. Why don't you want it?
And you know I'm right when I say this, because
look at how Labour's selling this today. Even they sound
like they're not so sure that we want a CGT,
They've double policied it today. They've told us what they're
going to spend the money on, which is three free
GP visits a year for us, basically to try to
sell it to us, basically to try to convince us

(01:24):
that a CGT is good for us. And also, just
look at how gleeful the National Party sound. They know
that this made twenty twenty six just a little bit
more likely for them. What I now want to know, though,
is who leak this to the media. Was it someone
who was just really excited that they knew something so
they lead it to the media and blew up their
own parties big announcement, or was it someone who disagrees

(01:46):
with Labor and wanted to blow up their own parties
big announcement either way, They've just made an unconvincing policy
even less convincing. Today for more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive,
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