May 14, 2025 • 5 mins
The Greens' Chlöe Swarbrick says tax policy has been used before to create a better society.
The Greens today launched their alternative Budget, which includes a 2.5 percent tax on individual net wealth over $2 million.
It would help pay for policies like free GP trips, free ECE and an Income Guarantee.
Swarbrick says after World War Two, higher taxes helped fund public housing and schools.
"That created a period by which even those who were having a hard time were able to participate in society and get the necessary social mobility so that they could live a good life in the future."
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, good afternoon. The Greens have revealed their alternative budget.
It's full of new taxes. There's a wealth tax, a
jet tax and inheritance tax too, new income tax rates,
a higher companies tax, and it's full of freebies. Free
GP visits, free annual dental health checkups, free basic dental care,
free child care for kids as young as six months.
Chloe Swarbrick is the Green Party co leading with us. Now, hey, Chloe,
(00:21):
sure to hear Chloe, why do you waste your time
with crap like this is not going to happen.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
The point here is to set the agenda and to
show New Zealander is the kind of country that we
actually can have if we want to fight for it,
and just actually on your point around taxes and what
we're deciding to spend them on, I think we should
just take a step back and reflect on the reality
that very few people individually have the resources to build
schools or hospitals, or actually even to pay for the
real cost of eighteen years worth of education or for
(00:47):
a loved one's cancer treatment. That is why we pull
our resource resources together through this thing that we call
tax so that we can build and own things together,
which would be very difficult for almost any of us
to do a line. But the point of being yea Zeland.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
In order to do what you want to do and
give freebes to everybody, you're going to be taxing nurses,
aren't you? Senior nurses at thirty nine percent? Is that
a good idea?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
We are as through our tax changes proposing that ninety
one percent of the population will pay lower income tax,
and i'd encourage everybody to go on to our online
calculator to see how these tax changes would make them
better off.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
But you can't tell me that senior nurses earning enough
money as it is right now now you want to
whack greater tax on them.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
The point that we're making here is that we can
have a fairer tax system and in care to you fund,
we can fund the services that all New Zealanders ultimately
rely on. Nurses, firefighters, regular New Zealanders all need to
go to the GP. The GP we are saying should
be free. Families should be able to send their kids
to high quality early childhood education for free. We should
(01:52):
be able to have freed dentistry, and we should all
be able to have a stable climate that we are
passing on to future generations. These are the things that
are possible if we're grown ups about the issues that
we are facing as a country. And yes it is
going to take serious investment. Yes we are going to
have to pay for it. But this is the reality
of the situation and the Greens are the only party
with the backbone you want to confront it.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
You're wanting to impose a wealth tax of two and
a half percent on property on net assets of two million.
Right now you realize that that is going to catch
families in Auckland because there will be people in Auckland
who have a house worth two million and no mortgage
on it.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Yeah, so I want to be clear about us. This
is a tax on individual net wealth over two million
at a rate of two point five percent, So for
a couple that would be over four millions.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
And what you're doing, Chloe, listened to yourself. What are
you doing is you're saying, listen, as long as you
stay with your drop kick husband, you won't get taxed.
But the minute you become a solo mum and stay
in that house, we're coming for you.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
What I'm saying here though, is that you current through it.
I have thought that through.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Are you okay with that? Are you okay with a
I'm staying in a house in Auckland as a solo
map suddenly gets pinged because she decides to break up
with her husband.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
I think that unfortunately, oftentimes what should be quite rational
and evidence based discussions about the tax system end up
being taken to these extremes and much away.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Chloe, it's our hard earned money. It's emotional for us.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
I hear you on that, and that's precisely why we
need to have a rational debate about it. Absolutely, people
can talk about their lived experiences with these things, but
that also needs to reflect. These conversations also need to
reflect the fact that our health system is crumbling, our
infrastructure is falling apart, and all of that is as
a result of decades of under investment from successive government.
I tell you, all of us live in the society
(03:41):
and we can invest in it.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
The sooner that you guys realize that emotions are tied
up in politics, that the faster you'll actually start putting
out stuff that actually makes sense. You realize that this,
You realize that when you put nonsense like this out,
it actually makes the chances of the Left getting back
into government much lower because no one wants to elect
a Labour party that's bolden.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
To you people, us people being the people who are
putting the solutions on the table for the bigger it's.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Natty, it's naughty. We are now rational people who own
assets don't want to vote for this stuff. Therefore, you
chances of a left wing government lower if.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
I can bring you back down to earth on this.
So I sit on street corners in Auckland Central during
the twenty twenty election. Auckland Central, of course, is a suburb,
is an electorate that has suburbs which contain multimillion dollar properties.
And I stood on street corners in those environments in
Pontsomby and Saint Mary's Bay and otherwise, and I spoke
to people about the reality of what the wealth tax
(04:37):
would actually mean. And yes, it does mean that those
who hold that amount of wealth are going to be
captured by that wealth tax. But the trade off that
we get for that investment is that we have the
opportunity to end homelessness and poverty in this country. We
have the opportunity food and security.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
That is never going to happen, and you know that
this is just nonsense, the idea that we can end
poverty and homelessness.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
But we took the approach after the World Wars and
the Great Depression to invest in public education, public health care,
public housing, and the public safety net, all of which
produced the decades followings and paid for I might add
by higher taxes on those who had profited handsomely during
a time of hardship for many. That created a period
by which even those who were having a hard time
(05:22):
were able to participate in society and get the necessary
social mobility so that they could live a good life
in the future. This is actually about ensuring that all
New Zealanders get a fair go, and I think that's
pretty common sense.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Chloe, it's always good to talk to you. Thank you,
Chloe Swarbrick, Green Party co leader. For more from Heather
Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news Talks. It'd be
from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
Hey, good afternoon. The Greens have revealed their alternative budget.
It's full of new taxes. There's a wealth tax, a
jet tax and inheritance tax too, new income tax rates,
a higher companies tax, and it's full of freebies. Free
GP visits, free annual dental health checkups, free basic dental care,
free child care for kids as young as six months.
Chloe Swarbrick is the Green Party co leading with us. Now, hey, Chloe,
(00:21):
sure to hear Chloe, why do you waste your time
with crap like this is not going to happen.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
The point here is to set the agenda and to
show New Zealander is the kind of country that we
actually can have if we want to fight for it,
and just actually on your point around taxes and what
we're deciding to spend them on, I think we should
just take a step back and reflect on the reality
that very few people individually have the resources to build
schools or hospitals, or actually even to pay for the
real cost of eighteen years worth of education or for
(00:47):
a loved one's cancer treatment. That is why we pull
our resource resources together through this thing that we call
tax so that we can build and own things together,
which would be very difficult for almost any of us
to do a line. But the point of being yea Zeland.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
In order to do what you want to do and
give freebes to everybody, you're going to be taxing nurses,
aren't you? Senior nurses at thirty nine percent? Is that
a good idea?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
We are as through our tax changes proposing that ninety
one percent of the population will pay lower income tax,
and i'd encourage everybody to go on to our online
calculator to see how these tax changes would make them
better off.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
But you can't tell me that senior nurses earning enough
money as it is right now now you want to
whack greater tax on them.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
The point that we're making here is that we can
have a fairer tax system and in care to you fund,
we can fund the services that all New Zealanders ultimately
rely on. Nurses, firefighters, regular New Zealanders all need to
go to the GP. The GP we are saying should
be free. Families should be able to send their kids
to high quality early childhood education for free. We should
(01:52):
be able to have freed dentistry, and we should all
be able to have a stable climate that we are
passing on to future generations. These are the things that
are possible if we're grown ups about the issues that
we are facing as a country. And yes it is
going to take serious investment. Yes we are going to
have to pay for it. But this is the reality
of the situation and the Greens are the only party
with the backbone you want to confront it.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
You're wanting to impose a wealth tax of two and
a half percent on property on net assets of two million.
Right now you realize that that is going to catch
families in Auckland because there will be people in Auckland
who have a house worth two million and no mortgage
on it.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Yeah, so I want to be clear about us. This
is a tax on individual net wealth over two million
at a rate of two point five percent, So for
a couple that would be over four millions.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
And what you're doing, Chloe, listened to yourself. What are
you doing is you're saying, listen, as long as you
stay with your drop kick husband, you won't get taxed.
But the minute you become a solo mum and stay
in that house, we're coming for you.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
What I'm saying here though, is that you current through it.
I have thought that through.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Are you okay with that? Are you okay with a
I'm staying in a house in Auckland as a solo
map suddenly gets pinged because she decides to break up
with her husband.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
I think that unfortunately, oftentimes what should be quite rational
and evidence based discussions about the tax system end up
being taken to these extremes and much away.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Chloe, it's our hard earned money. It's emotional for us.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
I hear you on that, and that's precisely why we
need to have a rational debate about it. Absolutely, people
can talk about their lived experiences with these things, but
that also needs to reflect. These conversations also need to
reflect the fact that our health system is crumbling, our
infrastructure is falling apart, and all of that is as
a result of decades of under investment from successive government.
I tell you, all of us live in the society
(03:41):
and we can invest in it.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
The sooner that you guys realize that emotions are tied
up in politics, that the faster you'll actually start putting
out stuff that actually makes sense. You realize that this,
You realize that when you put nonsense like this out,
it actually makes the chances of the Left getting back
into government much lower because no one wants to elect
a Labour party that's bolden.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
To you people, us people being the people who are
putting the solutions on the table for the bigger it's.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Natty, it's naughty. We are now rational people who own
assets don't want to vote for this stuff. Therefore, you
chances of a left wing government lower if.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
I can bring you back down to earth on this.
So I sit on street corners in Auckland Central during
the twenty twenty election. Auckland Central, of course, is a suburb,
is an electorate that has suburbs which contain multimillion dollar properties.
And I stood on street corners in those environments in
Pontsomby and Saint Mary's Bay and otherwise, and I spoke
to people about the reality of what the wealth tax
(04:37):
would actually mean. And yes, it does mean that those
who hold that amount of wealth are going to be
captured by that wealth tax. But the trade off that
we get for that investment is that we have the
opportunity to end homelessness and poverty in this country. We
have the opportunity food and security.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
That is never going to happen, and you know that
this is just nonsense, the idea that we can end
poverty and homelessness.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
But we took the approach after the World Wars and
the Great Depression to invest in public education, public health care,
public housing, and the public safety net, all of which
produced the decades followings and paid for I might add
by higher taxes on those who had profited handsomely during
a time of hardship for many. That created a period
by which even those who were having a hard time
(05:22):
were able to participate in society and get the necessary
social mobility so that they could live a good life
in the future. This is actually about ensuring that all
New Zealanders get a fair go, and I think that's
pretty common sense.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Chloe, it's always good to talk to you. Thank you,
Chloe Swarbrick, Green Party co leader. For more from Heather
Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news Talks. It'd be
from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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