Who says it's a let-down?

It seems that Dominion-Post political writer Tracy Watkins has elevated herself to the role of speaking on behalf of all New Zealanders - under the headline Labour plan for GST-free fruit tipped amid tax-cut letdown she opines:

Labour leader Phil Goff is tipped to announce today plans to axe GST on fresh fruit and vegetables as household budgets come under pressure amid signs that few are banking on this week's tax cuts offering them much relief.

And we can't help but wonder if her story this morning is all her own work, or if she is angling to become David Cunliffe's chief press secretary when he rolls Phil Goff, and has recycled one of Cunners' press releases. She's certainly running the Labour line - read on:

The tax package, worth $14 billion over four years, will deliver whopping rises to the likes of Telecom boss Paul Reynolds, who is set to get an extra $4800 a week, while the lowest income earners get less than $10 a week – nearly all of which is swallowed up by the rise in GST from 12.5 per cent to 15 per cent.

The Government says the average worker will be about $15 a week better off, but Labour disputes that. Finance spokesman David Cunliffe said three-quarters of the tax package went to the top income earners while at least 70 per cent of earners would be worse off under the tax cut package, once GST and other cost-of-living increases were taken into account, such as ACC levies, rates, childcare and insurance premiums.

Now we realise that getting journalists to run the party line is all part of the game of politics. But this one's just a bit too obvious. Paul Reynolds was a popular target for opposition speakers throughout the budget debate. His $4800/week tax cut makes for a great soundbite. But the likes of Paul Reynolds is the tip of the iceberg.

We haven't sat down yet and worked out by how much we will be better off after Friday's tax re-balancing exercise. We work hard, we work long hours, and we're in the fortunate position of being able to set our own remuneration. It's not a king's ransom, and if pro-rata'd against the hours week work, the hourly rate wouldn't look that flash. But we have no doubt that our net position will improve from the end of this week, and we're grateful for that. It certainly won't be a let-down to us, thank you very much Tracy!