Mana’s Marxism

From Q+A interview with Mana candidate John Minto:

GUYON         OK, let’s talk about some of those economic ideas that you did raise in my first question.  You want a maximum wage of 10 times the minimum wage – minimum wage about 25,000 – so you want a maximum wage so that anyone who earns a dollar over $250,000 pays 100% tax to the government.

 JOHN That’s one of the ideas that’s in our draft policy, yes.

This policy is not new. It is identical to what the Soviet Union and other communist countries had. They declared doctors should not be paid a huge amount more than street cleaners. They did indeed set maximum wages.

It failed. It has failed in every country that has tried it.

But nevertheless Mana is unhappy Labour will only whack the rich pricks for 39%. They want a 100% top tax rate.

You’ve got the people who work the hardest, work the longest hours on the lowest pay

Minto is wrong with his assertion that lower paid workers work longer hours. A 2008 study of working women found 50% worked for over 40 hours a week, while only 33% of lower paid women (less than $15.30 an hour) worked over 40 hours a week.

Of course Minto’s 100% proposed top tax rate only applies to people who don’t work for UNITE. If you work for UNITE your tax rate is 0%, as they don’t pay their taxes.