A Poisoned Chalice

Labour is being made to choke on its proposed capital gains tax.

Were the Dark Arts division of a public-relations firm to devise the ultimate game plan to make sure a policy proposal was well and truly routed, it would look a lot like what the Government is doing with the capital gains tax.

Preceded by a stiff invoice from Hooton, Laws, Blarney and Associates, the advice to the Government would read:

Capital Gains Tax (CGT) Liquefaction Schedule

At the policy’s announcement, stand well back and let every opponent and vested interest group, and most especially the Opposition, have an untrammelled run at it for several weeks.

Provide no helpful go-to material whatsoever for the media or public in advance that might risk clarifying how the proposals would work. Let opponents supply various half-arsed and sensational predictions instead, and depend on the media to garble those further.

On no account say anything more specific than, “I’m sure there are some recommendations from the report we will be able to adopt.”

Chose as the working group leader a former finance minister who, in 17 years as finance portfolio holder, never once endorsed the policy, and who pointedly reminds the media of that fact upon announcing the policy. Then watch as he defends the policy, safe in the knowledge that he will continue to do this without actually endorsing the policy himself, given he as good as publicly warned the Government the day he got the gig not to be so bloody silly as to go down this track.

Leave plenty of space for your coalition partner to patronise and belittle the policy, leaving a clear impression that whatever is finally adopted will be so diluted as to be homeopathic.