Who bears the tax burden - the poor or the rich? A global battleground

Over the last 25 years the tax burden has been shifted from the wealthy on to the poor in NZ. Both Labour and National governments have overseen this wealth transition. Today, the conditions are emerging for a mass campaign for tax justice, which shifts the tax burden off grassroots people back on to the global rich. Removing the 12.5% GST tax on food is a battle that can be won, given the mass support that exists for this demand - and which will only increase as economic crisis starts to bite. A mass campaign to git rid of GST on food would also create the conditions to win mass support for a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) – long supported by parties of the left – that would net the international speculators and corporates who avoid and evade paying tax in NZ. As the article below makes clear, who bears the tax burden – the rich or the poor – is right now a major global battleground. Britain’s largest corporations pay no tax by Jean Shaoul from World Socialist Web Site 4 November 2008 A massive 220 firms, almost one third of Britain’s largest 700 companies, including Cadbury, Standard Chartered Bank and British American Tobacco, paid no Corporation Tax in 2006-2007.

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