Prior to the 2023 election, CA ANZ conducted a Member Insights Panel survey to find out what New Zealand members see as the most pressing issues for our new government. Here are the key findings.

Overall priorities

The top three priorities members felt should be the focus areas for government are accessible health care, quality education, and law and order.

On health care, National has proposed a third medical school in Waikato, a bonding scheme for nurses and midwives, and funding for new cancer treatments.

To improve education, minimum mandatory reading, writing and maths requirements are on the cards, as well as twice-yearly standardised reports and a ban on mobile phones in schools. National also proposed new penalties for young people who offend repeatedly (including young offender military academies), limiting sentencing discounts to 40% and making gang membership an automatic aggravating factor in sentence.

Talking tax

Members would prefer to increase the marginal tax-bracket thresholds to reflect inflation and introduce a tax-free threshold for all individual taxpayers.

National’s tax plan includes adjusting income tax brackets for inflation and bringing in a back-pocket boost for ‘the squeezed middle’. It said it won’t remove GST from particular food items. Other cost of-living measures include abolishing the Auckland regional fuel tax and freezing the fuel excise rate for three years.

On property, the party is keen to introduce a foreign buyers’ tax, revert the bright-line test to two years, allow interest deductibility on loans for rental properties and remove tax depreciation from commercial buildings.

National is not in favour of a wealth tax or capital gains tax.

Superannuation

For national superannuation, 45% of members think the government should increase the age of eligibility, 45% disagree and 10% are unsure. However, 71% of members do not think the government should apply means testing to it.

A look ahead

At time of writing, National is negotiating with ACT and NZ First. In the next issue of Acuity, we will take a closer look at the coalition’s 100-day plan and how some of the issues members see as critical will be addressed by the new government.

Member priorities* for New Zealand

• 70% Accessible health care
• 55% Quality education
• 43% Law and order
• 33% Cost of living
• 32% Affordable housing
• 24% Tax reform
• 19% Climate mitigation and adaption
• 18% Supporting a high-wage economy
• 7% Appropriate immigration settings

*Percentage of members who listed an issue in
their top three priorities.

Member views on tax measures

• 86% Increase marginal tax bracket thresholds to reflect inflation
• 64% Introduce a tax-free threshold for all individual taxpayers
• 47% Reinstate interest deductibility for residential property
• 34% Apply tax credits to more income earners
• 26% Remove or reduce the bright-line test for residential property
• 21% Implement a wealth tax
• 12% Remove GST from fruit and vegetables and/or staples
• 11% Remove depreciation from commercial buildings

Join the panel

If you’re interested in joining the Member Insights Panel, visit: charteredaccountantsanz.com/news-and-analysis/insights/member-insights-panel