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Tax

Who's feeling the financial pinch

13 Mar 24 – As the government contemplates tax relief and other measures to lower the cost of living, a Horizon Research survey details who are suffering most financial discomfort and can't meet basic needs. The survey finds 29% of New Zealanders...
80% support half-price public transport fares

8 Dec 22 – 80% of New Zealander adults support extending half-priced public transport fares. And 66% support the government making public transport free for all users, according to the results of a new Horizon Research poll, conducted for ...
New Zealanders’ main priority: getting back to work

14 May 20 – New Zealanders overwhelmingly want economic stimulus measures which get people back to work. A Horizon Research survey of policies to stimulate the economy finds 79% support “getting people back to work”. ...
44% for capital gains tax, 35% against overall

28 Mar 19 – 44% of new Zealand adults support introducing a capital gains tax. 35% oppose. A Horizon Research February 28-March 15, 2019 nationwide poll finds 16% are neutral on a new tax, while 6% do not know. ...
60% indicate they'll vote to legalise personal cannabis use

14 Jan 19 – An independent survey of nearly 1,000 New Zealanders reveals the Government's 2020 referendum on recreational cannabis use would gain 60% support. New Zealand's largest licensed medicinal cannabis company, Helius Therapeutics, has released the result after commissioning...
Pledging solar subsidies could be a vote winner

27 Aug 18 – Government subsidies for residential solar power appeals most to New Zealanders as a way of reducing global warming. Some 71% of adults say this is the best way of tackling climate change. A policy, like one just ...
How polls help shape debate

4 Jul 18 – Changes to KiwiSaver reflect how HorizonPoll research - and listening to New Zealanders - has helped inform the debate. This time, it's been results exposing the gaps between current income and what's needed to live comfortably in retirement; support for changes to the...
Public says yes to govt-council economic development deals

7 Mar 18 – Nearly half of adult New Zealanders support the idea of the Government investing in special economic development deals with local authorities. A Horizon Research survey finds 49% support the idea and just 13% oppose. Economic...
Most will be living on pension alone 10 years after retiring

6 Dec 17 – For most retirees, savings and income from assets lasts for less than 10 years after retirement, reducing most to living off the New Zealand Superannuation pension alone. With the average person expecting to be retired for 20+ years, New Zealand retirees expect to live the...
How to get to 'yes' on fuel tax

26 Oct 17 – It seems not much is new about the way Aucklanders view a proposed fuel tax… The Herald is busy asking Aucklanders what they think of a 10c fuel levy in their region to help pay for transport projects. An unscientific Herald ...
National best party, Ardern best leader

21 Sep 17 – The National Party is seen as the best party for their future by 36% of adult New Zealanders, marginally ahead of Labour, on 35%, according to a Horizon Research poll. When asked “which party leader do you think will...
Ardern monopolises hope, English safety

20 Sep 17 – Rarely published polling on how main party leaders are making New Zealanders feel may reveal what’s behind “Jacindamania”. Jacinda Ardern’s appointment as Labour leader has...
More low-alcohol use will reduce harm

4 Apr 16 – Many New Zealanders say harm caused by alcohol can be reduced if more people drink low-alcohol beer, a new survey shows. The Horizon survey of 1141 New Zealanders, published by the New Zealand Food...
It's agreed: Super not enough for comfortable retirement

1 Oct 15 – 65% of all New Zealanders over 18 believe New Zealand Superannuation alone is insufficient for a comfortable retirement. For those already retired 78% say New Zealand Superannuation alone is insufficient for a comfortable retirement. ...
Overseas online shoppers say no to higher GST

7 Jul 15 – More than 1.76 million New Zealanders have been online shopping using overseas retailers in the past three months – and any move to charge them more in taxes and duties will find half of all adults opposed. ...
Flexing housing muscle trouble for Govt?

6 May 15 – Do Aucklanders still want to decide the shape of their city, not central government? Housing Minister Nick Smith, in a story first broken by Radio NZ, has reminded...
79% want fairer savings taxes

30 Jul 14 – 79% of New Zealanders want lower taxes on their savings, according to independent polling for the Financial Services Council in June-July, 2014. More than two million New Zealanders have funds in...
41% say "force me to save"

30 Apr 14 – The public resoundingly disagree with one university expert’s opinion that New Zealand does not have a savings problem and don’t need compulsory KiwiSaver. The Financial Services Council (FSC) has released results of research undertaken by Horizon on support...
48% say scrap KiwiSaver tax credit to fund tax cuts on savings

23 Apr 14 – A Horizon Poll commissioned by the Financial Services Council shows KiwiSavers support removing the annual $521 members tax credit (MTC) to fund lower KiwiSaver fund tax rates. $288,000 benefit from lowering tax on savings interest: These proposed...
Sugar poll: don't tax, reduce serving sizes

18 Feb 14 – More than 850,000 adult New Zealanders believe they or someone in their household have developed health problems as a result of consuming sugar. However, they prefer reducing the amount of sugar in drinks and reducing the size of sugar-containing drinks to imposing a sugar...
Serious illness equals serious financial trouble

18 Feb 13 – Key point summary: 972,700 households with annual incomes $20,000+ do not have income protection Each year the primary income earner in 14,980 of those households will fall seriously ill and be...
Third of households can't pay bills after 3 weeks' illness

18 Feb 13 – In New Zealand serious illness is 2.6 more times more likely to strike than a serious accident putting an earner off work for six months or more. The accident victim will get 80% of income from Accident Compensation. The illness victim without...
Public deeply split on carbon pricing

24 Aug 12 – Changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme have gone into Parliament as a new poll shows that New Zealanders are evenly split over whether we should even have a price on carbon. Carbon News reports that Climate Change Minister Tim...
Majority backs Auckland motorway tolls

25 Jul 12 – A majority of residents will support low level variable tolls on Auckland's motorways if this reduces congestion and helps fund major transport projects, according to a Horizon Research survey just released. The survey of 1,016 Aucklanders was commissioned by the New...
Kiwis believe new research saying they will live longer

29 Jun 12 – 64% of New Zealanders believe new research which finds that they are living longer after age 65, a key factor driving the need to review the country’s retirement income systems. In remarks prepared for delivery at a conference of leading economists at Palmerston...
Savings research results: NZ Super not enough

13 Jun 12 – Most people understand that New Zealand Superannuation will not provide them with enough money to live comfortably. According to results of a HorizonPoll survey conducted for the Financial Services Council, New Zealanders felt the average income needed to live comfortably...
What Kiwis say about payments and media

6 May 12 – Here is what New Zealander say, when interviewed by HorizonPoll, on the issue of media employees accepting payments from non-media organisations. These are comments made when respondents were asked: ...
Capital gains tax attracts more support than opposition

24 Jul 11 – More New Zealanders support than oppose a capital gains tax. The first nationwide poll conducted since the policy announcement finds 40.9% support Labour’s capital gains tax (CGT) proposal , 34.1% oppose, 17.9% are...
Less than 1% separates potential coalitions

24 Jul 11 – The two potential coalitions which could govern New Zealand after November's general election are less than 1% apart. The latest HorizonPoll of 1201 people on Friday (July 22) finds the current governing coalition (National, Act, Maori Party, United...
Sunday Star Times on deals in high places

24 Jul 11 – Deals being done in high-profile seats such as Ohariu and Epsom will be critical to the next government, the Sunday Star Times reports. Ohariu, in Wellington, is held by United...
Budget unlikely to change KiwiSaver savings levels

14 Jun 11 – Research commissioned by the Investment Savings and Insurance Association (ISI) shows that while few New Zealanders support the KiwiSaver changes announced in the Budget, most are likely to remain committed to the scheme. Not surprisingly, the HorizonPoll survey found that...
Act breaks through 5% support threshold

15 May 11 – The Act Party now has 5.3% voter support. A new HorizonPoll conducted between Thursday and Friday shows Act is up from 3.7% in April after making Don Brash its leader. The first result for the new Mana Party shows it has 2.3% party vote support...
Wealth gap worries Kiwis

23 Jan 11 – ACCUSATIONS THAT New Zealand is one of the worst performers in the developed world when it comes to the income gap between rich and poor have been validated by a Sunday Star-Times survey. Conducted by Horizon Research, it shows the burgeoning gap between the haves...
TV3-HorizonPoll surveys align on tax reform

14 Dec 10 – A survey conducted for TV3 lines up with an earlier HorizonPoll one showing few think they have benefitted from major tax reforms. The TV3 survey of 1000 voters by Read Research has shown 70 percent of voters haven't noticed any benefit from the October tax cuts, which...
Majority back Hobbit movie deal, but don’t want a repeat

23 Nov 10 – A majority of New Zealanders support the deal the Government did with Warner Bros to keep Hobbit film production in New Zealand. However, a majority don’t want a similar deal done again. A new nationwide HorizonPoll finds...
More than half say they are worse off after major tax reform

21 Nov 10 – Only 8.4% say they feel better off as a result of October’s major tax reforms. Some 53.5% say they are worse off after tax cuts and rises in benefits and GST. Some 35.6% say they are neither better nor worse off, according to a nationwide...
Should you be made to answer police questions?

17 Nov 10 – This new HorizonPoll nationwide survey covers new law proposed by the Government to help police investigate serious crime. We seek your views on some important issues: proposals to increase police powers; the deal done to keep the Hobbit films' production in New Zealand;...
Whopping 92% say Kiwis need to save more

25 Aug 10 – Kiwis know they need to save more. In a current HorizonPoll on compulsory savings policy options, a whopping 92% so far are saying that generally there is a need for New Zealanders to save more . Only 4% disagre...