Libertarianz leader Richard McGrath suggested that if the government wants to encourage philanthropy, they should stop targeting private wealth as though it were the proceeds of criminal activity, stop treating profit as a dirty word and stop punishing private success.

“Peter Biggs, former head of Creative NZ, was accustomed to receiving gobs of money which the IRD routinely strips from those who produce wealth. It must feel strange to have to ask these same people nicely for it.”

“The rich in this country are made to feel like pariahs,” McGrath added. “There is a distinctly anti-business bias running through our whole culture, cultivated by the likes of Clark and Cullen – who, between them, barely worked a day for a private employer in their entire lives.”

“If politicians want the rich to contribute toward the arts, then cut all taxpayer funding of the arts forthwith, so the rich feel they’re not funding it already. Slash taxes by creating a tax free threshold of $50,000 to give all New Zealanders more disposable income and thus the opportunity to indulge themselves in the arts if that is their wish.”

“Remove impediments to wealth creation, such as the Resource Management Act. Strengthen the common-law avenues for civil redress and the enforceability of contracts. But get rid of the excessive legislation that currently strangles industry and limits national prosperity.”

”As for the ETS: dump it now, or forget about any private funding of the arts. If you shackle businesses with a 40% cut in allowable carbon output, there will be mass unemployment, massively reduced company profits, and a huge drop in the corporate tax take. The private sector will be crippled, and discretionary spending on luxury items will disappear.”

“On the other hand, if private business is allowed to flourish, then money will pour into areas such as the arts. The Libertarianz Party encourages all moves that maximize individual wealth, as this will benefit the arts more than any amount of state funding ever could.”

For more information, please contact:

Dr Richard McGrath
Libertarianz Leader
Phone: 027 322 2907
Email: richard.mcgrath@libertarianz.org.nz

Libertarianz: More Freedom, Less Government
www.libertarianz.org.nz