WB. Industrial Dispute. 20 yrs of govt. neutrality. 30 October 2010

Prime Minister John Key with furry feet and wearing a little cap has been sitting contentedly drinking coffee on a wall that represents the 'Industrial dispute' and '20 yrs of govt. neutrality'. He is picked up by a huge dragon representing Warner Brothers and carried away as arrows from Mordor fall ineffectively behind him. On the far side of the wall are the mountains of Mordor. Refers to the dispute between Warner Brothers, represented by Peter Jackson, and NZ Actors Equity over a union demand for negotiations over the terms and conditions offered in the contracts for actors and others working on the film very nearly caused the film to be made somewhere else. The battle, which has been resolved successfully after meetings between PM John Key and Warner Brothers representatives, divided New Zealanders. The government agreed to amend the country's labour laws and offered a $25m tax break to the Hollywood studio Warner Bros. The reference to 20 years of neutrality is explained by PricewaterhouseCoopers tax partner Geoff Nightingale, who puts it this way: "We're heading back from a broad-based, neutral, low-rate tax system to one where it's acceptable again to use the tax system as a lever to influence business activity" - a reference to the Rogernomics free enterprise era.

Published in MG Business

Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).