Cooking the Books: Why a capital gains tax would be a good thing

Author: Frances Cook ,
Publish Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2017, 4:00PM

Each week the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB's Cooking The Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's what a capital gains tax would mean for the average person. Hosted by Frances Cook.

Just the word - ‘tax’ - can be enough to strike fear into some peoples’ hearts.

But go ahead and say ‘capital gains tax’, and people tend to start talking angrily about housing, whether they’re for or against.

BNZ boss Anthony Healy has caused a bit of a splash by doing just that. He says there needs to be tax reform to stop the rising inequality between rich and poor.

His biggest request to make things fairer? Please, bring in a capital gains tax.

But for a phrase that strikes fear into the heart of some, and is a symbol of hope for others, there’s remarkably little talk about what it could actually mean for the average New Zealander.

Would it destroy the family home some have worked so hard to create? Or help level the playing field for hopeful first home buyers? Maybe rein in greedy property investors?

It’s time to get into some myth busting, so I called Hannah McQueen from financial coaching firm EnableMe, to figure out what a capital gains tax would actually mean for you and I.

We talked about what the average home owner would notice if one was brought in, if it was the silver bullet to help first home buyers, and whether it would rein in property investors.

For the interview, listen to the podcast.

If you have questions about this podcast, or an idea for next time, come and talk to me online. I'm on Facebook and Twitter.