Have your say: 2025 Taskforce to recommend flat tax, govt spending cuts

Television New Zealand's Guyon Espiner has reported that Don Brash's 2025 Taskforce  will recommend on Monday afternoon that the government radically reform the tax system to bring in a flat income and corporate tax rate of between 20% to 25%, but that no capital gains tax is needed. Espiner also reported the Taskforce was likely to recommend more privatisation and the reduction some social services. John Key was reported as rejecting the recommendations before  they had been made. "We campaigned on some key and core commitments and we're not going to break those promises to New Zealanders. That's not to say we can't pick our way through the report and find something that might add to New Zealand's economic performance, but where we specifically campaigned on something then I'm not going to break my word," Key says. Espiner said the reported questioned why a number of social services and benefits were universal. The commission was understood to have looked at restricting access to free student loans. My view

It's very early to judge either the content of the Taskforce's report or the government's reaction when it isn't due out until 1.30 pm on Monday. I'm going to be in the lockup in Wellington and will report much greater detail on our site at 1.30 pm. But the suggestions reported by Guyon are not unexpected. The fairly sweeping rejection from Key appears disappointing on the surface. It's hard to believe he would commission the report and then write it all off on the grounds it breaks election promises. Key seems interested in cherry picking the bits that arn't too offensive or haven't already been ruled out by him either before or after the election. My concern is that John Key's beliefs seem to be like pre-cooked sausages. He cooked them before the election and that's it. Let's hope he'll make some new beliefs before the next  election. Your view? We welcome your comments and insights in the comments below.