Salvation Army Supports Fairer Tax Campaign
Around 50 people attended the launch in Wellington of the ‘Better Taxes for a Better Future’ campaign, which calls for bold action to make New Zealand’s tax system fairer.
The campaign is run by the Fair Tax Coalition, comprised of environmental organisations, campaign groups, unions, social service organisations, human rights groups and faith-based movements including The Salvation Army.
The campaign calls on politicians to address inequities in our tax system and to ensure the system gathers enough revenue to enable the country to address the complex challenges it faces.
Among the speakers who kicked off the campaign was Damien Hazlewood, a financial mentor based at Porirua Community Ministries.
Damien has worked for The Salvation Army on the frontline of social need for the last 13 years and is very familiar with the human face of poverty, which the cost-of-living crisis is making worse. He routinely works with people for whom food is a luxury in their budgets; who fall behind on their rent and become indebted to the government or high-cost lenders.
‘We do our best to help people sort things out and try to mitigate the emotional stress that comes from this kind of ongoing financial struggle,’ says Damien.
The current tax system should be improved so that the most vulnerable in the community can get the help and support they need.
Chair of the Fair Tax Coalition Glenn Barclay says that while tax is an essential part of our social and economic framework, our tax system is deeply unfair.
‘It requires a lot from the least well-off in society and does not require a very large contribution from its wealthier citizens,’ says Glenn.
The Coalition has written to all MPs asking them to commit to an improved tax system.
‘We are asking our politicians to be bold when it comes to their tax policies,’ says Glenn. ‘Urgency is needed to address inequities in the system and to ensure we have better taxes for a better future.’
More information: https://www.bettertaxes.nz/
