The minimum wage goes up shortly by 50 cents an hour. This must be good news for someone, but I suspect not much for those struggling to survive on that level of income. Even Mr Key concedes that it is hard to live on that sort of income.
The other problem that government has got is that they don’t seem to be getting as much in tax as they had planned. Maybe it’s time to look at that and get realistic about our taxation system with at least some sort of asset tax like most of the OECD countries – a Capital Gains Tax might be a start.
All this would be a small step towards making a more equal society again which would benefit all of us, not just those on the bottom of the ladder.
I suppose if everyone got a 50 cent an hour rise in pay that would gradually help the equity issue too. Somehow I don’t see the average politician or CEO accepting such a pittance.
Archie Kerr has been a General Paediatrician at Hutt Hospital for over 30 years. Confronted regularly with the social factors that are important in the health and well-being of children, he has increasingly become aware that only major changes in the economic climate can improve their situation.