At last, a politician you can believe in. Here are a few key quotes from Prime Minister John Key in an interview with Mary Kissel of the Wall Street Journal:
On the global recession:
We don't tell New Zealanders we can stop the global recession, because we can't..
On the stimulus packages:
That's risky …You've saddled future generations with an enormous amount of debt that then they have to repay…There is actually a limit to what governments can do.
On the end of capitalism:
Nonsense!
On the former socialist policies in New Zealand:
We have been on a slippery slope,…So we need to lift those per-capita wages, and the only way to really do that is through productivity growth driving efficiency in the country.
On cutting income tax:
We just think it's good tax policy to lower and flatten your tax curve,…People will move in labor markets and they look at their after-tax incomes.
On cutting corporate tax rates:
If you really are out of whack with the prevailing corporate tax rates, and there's been a global shift toward countries lowering their corporate tax rate, then you're not likely to attract capital, or you're likely to lose capital.
On emissions:
Half of all of our emissions come from agriculture,…burping and farting. We don't have an answer to that. So at the moment, we either become more expensive or we cut production. And neither of those options are terribly attractive…New Zealand needs to balance its environmental responsibilities with its economic opportunities, because the risk is that if you don't do that - and you want to lead the world - then you might end up getting unintended consequences.
On the future:
What we do tell them is we can use this time to transform the economy to make us stronger so that when the world starts growing again we can be running faster than other countries we compete with.
Now how can I emigrate to New Zealand?
