Policy Comparison - Inequality

This comparison includes policy from the following parties: Mana, Greens, Labour, NZ First, Maori, ACT

Make the first $27,000 earned tax free and introduce a more progressive tax scale.
Lift benefits to at least the pre 1991 equivalent levels and index benefits to a fixed, adequate percentage of the average wage.
Work towards implementing a Universal Tax Credit/Universal Basic Income where everyone in Aotearoa aged 18 and over would receive a minimum, liveable, tax free income after which progressive tax would kick in.
Extend the in-work tax credit to the children of beneficiary parents.
Reinstate the Training Incentive Allowance for people on the Domestic Purposes Benefit so they can access all levels of tertiary education.
Maintain national superannuation as a universal payment for everyone aged 65 and over.
Collate all sources of income, including from shares, bonds and investments, to be taxed at an individual’s personal tax rate.
Make it a duty of Government to ensure every individual and family is housed, in secure, safe and affordable accommodation.
Build 20,000 more state houses within the next two years.
Maintain income related rents at no more than 25% of income for state, local government and community and iwi social housing.

Strengthen collective bargaining rights recognising collective bargaining as one of the key ways to reduce income inequality.
Increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour immediately, and commit to future increases until it reaches 66 percent of the average wage.
Extend Working for Families to include those where parents receive a benefit.
Reinstate and extend support for sole parents to study at university.
Create minimum performance standards for rental properties to ensure warm, healthy homes.
Introduce progressive energy pricing for consumers to alleviate energy poverty and incentivise energy conservation.

Increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour during first year in government.
Strengthen collective bargaining.
Make the first $5,000 in personal income a year tax free.
Establish a new top tax rate of 39 percent on income over $150,000.
GST off fresh fruit and vegetables.
Restore $2 million to the Training Incentive Allowance for people on social welfare benefits to obtain qualifications.
Hold a Ministerial inquiry to ascertain the extent and nature of homelessness in New Zealand.
Reaffirm Housing New Zealand's role as a social housing provider.
Introduce legislation and policy to recognise the right to equal pay, require a positive duty to advance equality, and provide the mechanism to determine work of equal value.
Identify what we can learn from the work of the Pay and Employment Equity Unit to advance pay equity and seek solutions for all sectors of the economy (public and private).
Ensure that information about pay rates is made available so that comparisons can be made and unfair inequalities in pay rates between men and women are revealed.
Consider the introduction of a requirement that job vacancies have a minimum start rate advertised.

A $16 minimum wage
Extend the Tax Credit for all low income families
Enact an annual power rebate for low-income whanau; installation of low cost heating and insulating 10,000 low-income homes per year including rental properties.
Inequality impact statement to be written into all new legislation including the likely impact on children.
Reinstate the Training Incentive Allowance to support sole parents into work.
Review adequacy of the accommodation supplement.
Lower the age of entitlement to New Zealand superannuation to 60 years for groups whose life expectancy is lower than average. All those who reach a certain asset threshold will be means-tested.
Develop strategies to bring levels of salary for women to the same levels as their male counterparts for similar work in State Services, Treasury and DPMC.

Cut Working for Families payments to middle and upper income earners.
Introduce obligations for sole parent beneficiaries to ensure their children are properly cared for including taking budgeting instruction and meeting regular health checks.
Introduce sanctions – such as suspension of the unemployment benefit and mandatory work-for-the-dole – in cases where reasonable offers of employment are declined.
Re-introduce a youth training rate or minimum wage.

The Faces of Fairness