Tag Archives: Opportunity Party

New Zealand’s Opportunity Party (TOP) could hold the balance of power after the 7 November election. A late-October poll put it on 7.2%, potentially securing nine MPs and entering Parliament for the first time.

For Liberal Democrats, TOP’s significance lies in its radical centrism: combining support for enterprise and growth with substantial reforms to taxation, income security and economic power. Its policies connect two questions too often discussed separately: how do we produce more wealth, and how should we distribute it?

Security and productive investment

TOP’s flagship proposal combines a Citizen’s Income of approximately NZ$19,400 annually for eligible adults with a 1.75% annual tax on residential and commercial land values.

A guaranteed income provides security and contributes to freedom from domination, while land taxation discourages speculation and encourages development. Buildings and improvements are excluded from the tax, preserving incentives to construct and improve homes. For too long, investors in the UK have been encouraged to pursue rising land and property prices because the expected returns exceed those available from investment in businesses, technology, and innovation. Taxing land values would help shift those incentives towards activities that raise productivity and create new wealth.

Together, these policies would use a share of socially created land wealth to finance individual economic security, while encouraging investment towards productive enterprise. Redistribution would therefore help create the conditions for growth, giving people the resources to develop their abilities and businesses stronger incentives to invest.

Competition and economic power

TOP’s support for business comes with a willingness to challenge powerful incumbents. It proposes stronger competition enforcement, including powers for the Commerce Commission to seek court-supervised break-ups of dominant businesses. It also supports increased research and development spending, technology adoption incentives, and business incubators.