Newland: Give first-time buyers GST break

You call that radical? I call it sensible. Its a great idea to offer new builds tax breaks provided they are owner occupied and lived in for a period of - say - 3 years perhaps? I like this thinking. A lot.

How can house prices double if wages are widely flat and globalized economy dominated by low labour cost empires. Cynical investors who charge merciless rentals should show a social conscience. NZ banks also need to show a social conscience and stop peddling onerous mortgages like hamburgers. Perhaps credit agencies need to impose on NZ banks a restricting lending criteria as they are already doing in Europe.

Part of Australia's housing bubble - that's now popping - was caused by first home buyers grants. The market simply factors in any increase to FHB's deposit size, and causes a bigger problem later on. And... If you copy someone else's idea, that's not radical thinking!

Almost all countries with GST have split tariffs, and have had them for decades. A low tariff for essentials like housing and food, and a high one for luxuries. If we fell in line at least one factor would be addressed (and it has many other benefits in other areas besides). The 2 tariffs can easily be tuned to be made revenue neutral. The question is not should we do it, but rather why on earth are we not doing this?