I’ve had a guts full of bludgers and their low-life ways. They take, take, take, from the rest of us but are nowhere to be seen when it’s time to do their bit. You could describe them as parasites or boils on the backside of the community – take your pick – either description is accurate. It’s been going on for a long time. They abuse our tolerance and accuse others of loafing but it’s just a cover for their own slothfulness. They don’t play by the rules that apply to the rest of us – they’re so arrogant they make up their own rules. They are never there when it’s time to pull their weight.

It’s time to call them out, get them working and expect them to do their bit. We shouldn’t take no for an answer. I’m talking about the wealthiest group of New Zealanders who control over $50 million in wealth each but pay bugger all tax. A New Zealand Herald story spelt out their deceitful ways. Under the headline “How Super-Rich Kiwis Dodge Tax” (1/6/13, Anna Leask, http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10887756) the paper reported that 107 out of 193 of what the Inland Revenue Department calls “high wealth individuals” do not even declare income of even $70,000 so these rich pricks don’t even pay the top tax rate. Bludging bastards.

Wage and salary earners pay tax on every dollar we earn and every dollar we spend but these layabouts hide their money in trusts, overseas bank accounts and tax havens of all kinds and leave the rest of us to keep the country running. Most of them have never done an honest day’s work in their lives. Miserable pricks. And the excuses they give have to be seen to be believed. The Herald reported “tax lawyer” (aka bludgers’ batman) Andrew Ryan as saying “these high net wealth individuals will most probably be paying more GST than most individuals”. Pull the other one Andrew – it’s a pathetic comment. More than anyone he should know that the poorest 10% of New Zealanders pay 14% of their income on GST but those in the richest 10% pay less than 5% of their income on GST. These 193 individuals would probably pay less than 1% of their income on GST.

That’s why GST has to go – it’s a tax on the poor and lets rich bludgers off the hook. These ne’er do wells are a worldwide menace. The Herald story repeats estimates that, around the globe, up to $36 trillion (that’s $36 thousand billion) is hidden in tax havens. Yet we never hear Prime Minister John Key attack these corporate good for nothings because they are his mates, his political kith and kin. As someone wrote to me the other day “if someone gets paid for an hour without working then someone else worked an hour without being paid”. These corporate bludgers owe us big. It’s time we collected.