User Profile

Thomas Coughlan

Thomas Coughlan is a Newsroom reporter based in Wellington who writes on policy and economics.

Does the tax working group have the answers?

The tax working group has recommended a capital gains tax. It answers some pressing questions for the government, but raises many others.

10 hours ago

Thomas Coughlan

Politics

Is a life worth $4.7 million?

The wellbeing framework that puts the “value of a statistical life” at $4.7 million is coming under fire.

21 hours ago

Thomas Coughlan

Business

Optimistic Kiwibank posts $62m profit

Kiwibank has made a roaring start to the year, with its half-year results showing a big rise in its net profit.

Feb 20 2019

Thomas Coughlan

International

Japan stuck in past, as future threats grow

Japan’s relationship with its would-be allies is dominated by the war, a fact it resents.

Feb 20 2019

Thomas Coughlan

Politics

Govt jumps OECD gun on Google tax

The Government announced plans for a 2-3% tax on revenues earned in New Zealand by digital services giants such as Google, Facebook and Netflix. It could come arrive four years before the OECD version.

Feb 19 2019

Thomas Coughlan

News

Tourist slowdown started before Huawei block

A sharp slowdown in tourist arrivals from China began in October, just before the Government decided to look at blocking Huawei from Spark’s 5 G rollout. But they kept falling in November and December.

Feb 19 2019

Thomas Coughlan

Comment

Is KiwiBuild broken beyond repair?

Thomas Coughlan takes a close look at KiwiBuild as it inches closer to chaos.

Feb 18 2019

Thomas Coughlan

Transport

NZTA mulls law change

As many as 10,000 vehicles could be driving with failed warrants after 17,300 motorists failed to heed NZTA’s call to have their vehicles rechecked.

Feb 15 2019

Thomas Coughlan

International

Japan slowly remilitarises

Even without changing the constitution, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has pushed the country towards militarisation.

Feb 15 2019

Thomas Coughlan

boardroom

RBNZ doesn’t share bank fears

The Reserve Bank thinks its proposed bank capital rules will have almost no effect on economic growth.

Feb 14 2019

Thomas Coughlan

Politics

Green Party starts review of budget rules

The Greens are beginning a policy process that could see the end of a self-imposed financial straitjacket.

Feb 14 2019

Thomas Coughlan

Politics

Select committee falls over

A war of words has erupted on one of Parliament’s most powerful select committees which was cancelled on Wednesday morning for failing to reach quorum.

Feb 13 2019

Thomas Coughlan

Politics

Returning MPs ponder RBNZ land mine

For returning MPs, the biggest political land mine is likely to come from one of the few arms of government over which they don’t have control: the Reserve Bank.

Feb 13 2019

Thomas Coughlan

Politics

Top law firm called in over conflict of interest

The car company at the centre of a conflict of interest scandal has hired top law firm Chen Palmer.

Feb 12 2019

Thomas Coughlan

International

The rocks that could start a war

If China attacks the Senkaku islands, the United States would be obliged to wage war in defence of the five small islands and three rocks sitting in the East China Sea.

Feb 11 2019

Thomas Coughlan

boardroom

Unemployment up, as economy slows

The unemployment rate ticked up in the December quarter from 4 to 4.3 percent, according to numbers released by Statistics NZ today.

Feb 07 2019

Thomas Coughlan

Politics

Rafting rule changes could add costs for small firms

Rafting companies will be have to diversify their business or cough up as the Government looks to change the way the industry’s health and safety is regulated.

Feb 07 2019

Thomas Coughlan

Newsroom

PGF: twice as many bureaucrats as regional jobs?

The Opposition says the Provincial Growth Fund employs more than twice as many bureaucrats in Wellington as jobs it has created in the regions.

Feb 06 2019

Thomas Coughlan

Comment

Let’s remember the peace like we remember the war

As we enter another year of global uncertainty, it might pay to look not just at the voices of pessimism from the past, but some of the optimists as well.

Jan 28 2019

Thomas Coughlan

Politics

Government progress on public housing target

How much progress has been made on building 1600 state and social houses?

Jan 25 2019

Thomas Coughlan