New Zealand Taxpayers' Union

The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union is a taxpayer pressure group founded in 2013 to scrutinise government spending; publicise government waste and promote an efficient tax system.[1] It claims to be politically independent and not aligned to, or intended to develop into a political party.[2] However, the group refuses to state who funds them and generally refuses requests to speak with media about this. In 2019 it was reported the group has been funded in part by British American Tobacco.[3] This, along with their close ties to many right-wing figures from the New Zealand political scene (see below), has resulted in them being widely regarded as a right-wing pressure group.[4][5][6]

New Zealand Taxpayers' Union
Logo of the Taxpayers' Union
AbbreviationNZTU
FormationOctober 2013
TypePressure group and
Taxpayers union
Legal statusIncorporated Society
PurposeChampioning value for money for every tax dollar
HeadquartersWellington
Executive Director
Jordan Williams
Staff
6 (2013)
Websitewww.taxpayers.org.nz

Personnel

The group is chaired by a former Television New Zealand political editor, John Bishop.

The group's co-founder and Executive Director is Wellington constitutional lawyer, Jordan Williams. Williams is most known for fronting the 'Vote for Change' campaign during the 2011 referendum on New Zealand's voting system. Williams previously worked at the law firm of former ACT MP Stephen Franks.

David Farrar co-founded the group and sits on its Board of Directors. Farrar continues to be heavily involved in the National Government's campaign activities, as its pollster and was described by Prime Minister John Key as "the best pollster in New Zealand" during his victory speech on election night 2011.[7] Farrar describes himself as "very pro economic liberalism", and has stated that the Taxpayers' Union is not "anti left or right" and "I suspect we will somewhat annoy whoever is in government at the time".[8]

Activities

The Taxpayers' Union initiatives include public relations campaigns and paid advertising. Campaigns are intended to generate media interest and greater public involvement and support for fiscally conservative causes.

Its major campaigns have included reports on corporate welfare by the John Key-led government, commissioning independent costings of the election promises of all the major political parties during the 2014 election, and league tables comparing the performance of local government organisations.

In January 2014, the group released internal ACC documents suggesting that $19 million awarded to the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions and Business New Zealand had been wasted.[9] Soon afterward the scheme was scrapped.[10]

In June 2014 the group partnered with Fairfax Media to produce local government league tables, labeled "The Ratepayers' Report".[11]

The group also operates a confidential 'tip line' for members of the public and government officials to report examples of government waste.[12]

Controversies

Use of false identities

In October 2018, The New Zealand Herald revealed the results of an investigation into the Taxpayers' Union, showing that staff members acting on behalf of the organisation (and in an organised campaign) assumed false identities to lodge Official Information Act requests with the New Zealand Government's science research agency. After refusing to comment for two days, representatives from the Union admitted they had used false identities in this way. The Herald investigation found that all of the email accounts used for the requests were linked to one particular email address of a Taxpayers' Union staff member by way of account recovery processes.[13]

References
  1. "Your Money, Your Voice".
  2. "Union not a party in the making". National Business Review. 3 November 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  3. "Taxpayers' Union backed by tobacco giant". Newsroom. 24 January 2019.
  4. "Kiwis 'pay $483 a year more in tax because income brackets not adjusted for inflation'".
  5. "The Big Read: So what's this Taxpayers' Union, which purports to represent us all?".
  6. "An invoice to the Taxpayers' Union on behalf of annoyed New Zealanders". 18 July 2017.
  7. "#twvote: Election night live". Radio New Zealand. The Wireless. 20 September 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  8. Stuart, Sarah (31 October 2013). "Twelve Questions: David Farrar". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  9. "ACC admits programme poor value". 14 January 2014.
  10. "ACC to can programme after $19m spent". 14 January 2014 – via www.nzherald.co.nz.
  11. "Balancing the council books". Fairfax Media. Stuff.co.nz. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  12. "Grassroots group takes aim at Government spending (4:08)". Television New Zealand. 30 October 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  13. "How right-wing lobby group NZ Taxpayers' Union used false identities to make OIA request - and how it got caught'".
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