Can a regulator really monitor a GST cut?

Monitoring GST-free fresh fruit prices is not straightforward. (Image: NZME)

Tue, 15 Aug 2023

Tax purists are losing their minds over the impurity of the Labour party’s promise to remove GST from fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables.Among the various valid complaints that the average shopper couldn’t care less about is that the exemption will add cost and complexity to every food and grocery business because charging differently for different items is a make-work scheme for retailers.However, such costs will almost certainly be recoverable. No matter how confident the finance minister, Grant Robertson, claims to be about be...

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