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Passing Thoughts

I think blog tradition heads these sorts of posts up as "random thoughts", but why would I ever follow tradition? Is it because I post at a blog called "NZ Conservative"? How easily you fall into the stereotypical traps.

With the advent of GST upon us I realised that all the prices go up on 1 October but I don't get paid on the new tax rates until the end of the month. That puts me a month behind automatically. That's rank.

I see also full page adverts by IRD explaining all of the anomalies that a rate change causes in the middle of a financial period, and in the middle of a GST return period for some businesses. The cost of change will of course be borne stoically by many businesses, but don't forget that there is a lot of extra cost going into compliance, with no productive benefit. My commiserations to NZ businesses as much as the consumers.

I see Goff is launching the new Labour policy for GST - to keep it the same rate as National. Wow, there's a point of differentiation. I'm partly joking. They've identified their target market well. Idealists, stupid people, accountants and people that hate direct costs but blithely accept indirect costs as a fact of life. I'm talking about the idea of exempting fruit and vegetables from GST. It will complicate matters and raise indirect costs but everyone will think they are on to a winner with cheaper food.

I rang my boss today and said I'd take two months off on sick leave with full pay please, and anything beyond that I'd send in $50 per week in cash to ensure I continued to receive full pay. I thought I'd use the time off to rail against cushy pay packages for unwanted MPs but my boss said "no".

I'd quit with a response like that, but I'm worried it might inspire changes to the 90 day rule law. Perhaps I'd not be allowed to quit even if I wanted to. Just imagine if that law was implemented: You cannot quit a job in the first 90 days, even if you want to or need to. The politicians could push it through on the basis that employers were entitled to get their money's worth given the cost of recruitment. Even better, you've got to work in the same place for life? No promotion, but you can look forward to a gold watch with 50 years of service. Is that how they ran the public service in Greece? Every government worker happy right up to the collapse?

Will the Commonwealth Games go ahead, and will terrorists attack? They might be important questions in hindsight, but right now the main issue seems to be having clean sheets and polished chrome fittings for the visiting teams. Maybe they can add cleaning services, housekeeping, linen washing and bed making as Gold medal events?

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