Whoops - Russel Norman used 'tax burden' in his own press releases
Furore over Green Party leader's objection to the term "tax burden" takes an entertaining turn.
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The furore over Green Party leader Russel Norman's objection to the term "tax burden" has taken another entertaining turn.
Economics lecturer Eric Crampton notes Twitter wags have found two Russel Norman press releases that use the term (see them here and here).
Yesterday, Dr Norman complained Treasury official's use of the phrase "tax burden" revealed "Right wing political ideology runs deep in Treasury."
If so, his own communications team may be politically suspect.
Dr Crampton's Canterbury Universtiy colleague Seamus Hogan has also waded into the debate over Dr Norman's select committee performance, saying online "Oh dear oh dear. Norman's comment on 'burden' was just ignorance of technical language - albeit an ignorance that we wouldn't want to see in an aspiring finance minister and one that should give him pause before attributing views to the user of the language.
"But his ridiculous comment on the 'general equilibrium model' seems to be trying to convey the impression of someone who has learned some economics, but betraying complete ignorance. Has he confused general equilibrium analysis used to think about the economy-wide effects of a tax with dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models in macro that have come in for some criticism since the GFC?"
Dr Crampton tells NBR ONLINE that mockery of Dr Norman's comments has now gone global, with an economist from the University of Victoria in Canada joining in the sport.
NBR staff
Thu, 19 Sep 2013
Thu, 19 Sep 2013
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Whoops - Russel Norman used 'tax burden' in his own press releases
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