Should Spark be afraid of the ‘Skyfone’? Key hints at another tourism tax, Doubts raised over crowd funded figures

In NBR Print today: Spark [NZX: SPK] investors’ immediate reaction was to take fright as Sky TV [NZX: SKT] revealed it was in merger talks with Vodafone. But the complications of the fast-moving telecommunications and broadcasting markets mean Sky and Vodafone could just as easily tie themselves up in knots grappling with merger issues as create a new, fearsome competitor. Chris Keall reports.

Equity crowdfunding has been legal for almost two years and millions of dollars have been raised for young companies, which all promised to be brighter and better than any competitor. Since then, investors would have had better luck squeezing blood from a stone than finding out whether these companies had met their prospectus forecasts. Calida Smylie investigates.

Prime Minister John Key says he has been approached by some of the tourism industry’s top brass and asked to implement a tourism tax. Mr Key certainly did not shoot the idea down, in fact, he is sounding likely to give the new tax the green light. Jason Walls reports.

An Australian who claims to have lost $A1 million to an alleged New Zealand fraudster is seeking to join a claim of more than 50 investors attempting to recover millions from Macquarie Bank. Hamish McNicol reports.

Global steel prices could be facing an ice age as China tries to dump its enormous oversupply. The glut has forced New Zealand mills to slash costs, reports Nathan Smith. But, even with the WTO involved, China’s promise to limit its production won’t herald a price rise soon and, while construction here might benefit, more job losses in production could be coming.

Horton Media managing director and scion of a famous New Zealand newspaper dynasty Matthew Horton explains what’s wrong with the proposed publishing empires’ merger

One of the most dangerous financial sectors bears the least regulatory burden, Tim Hunter writes in Hunter’s Corner.

Graeme Hart’s restructuring skills are being put to the test, writes Shoeshine.

Rob Hosking says the Labour-Green pact is a defensive huddle by New Zealand’s two main, self-styled, “progressive” parties.

Don’t miss: NBR Special Report: Doing business in China

All this and more in today’s National Business Review Print Edition. Out now.

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