Australia and New Zealand have cut red-tape surrounding business conducted between the two countries, raising the levels which can be invested without requiring approval. On February 16th the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the New Zealand Prime Minister John Key signed a new Investment Protocol between the two countries, which updates the bilateral Closer Economic Relations (CER) trade agreement held by Australia and New Zealand. The newly signed agreement will align the CER with contemporary free trade agreements, and will cut ... Read More

New Zealand has been ranked as the 4th freest economy in the world, only beaten out by Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. On January 12th the US-based Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal co-released the 2011 Index of Economic Freedom, an annual report which aims to track the perceived changes in economic conditions and freedoms of countries across the world. According to the publication, New Zealand is currently the 4th freest economy in the world, and is ranked top across all countries ... Read More

The Green Party of Australia has spurned new debate in Australia after proposing that Australians be able to receive free tertiary educations. On December 30th the Australian Green Party outlined its agenda for 2011, which included a proposal to establish a system which would use the profits arising from mining taxes to fund free tertiary education for all Australians. The Green Party believes that introducing a system of tertiary education would cost approximately AUD 2.5 billion. The funding would be sourced entirely from ... Read More

The New Zealand Finance Minister has claimed that the upcoming decrease to corporate tax rates will increase the countries international competitiveness and economic efficiency. On July 2nd Bill English, Finance Minister of New Zealand, praised the country’s planned corporate tax rate decrease. The statement came as a response to the Australian Government’s announcement that its national corporate tax rate will not be reduced below 29 percent until fiscal conditions permit. According to Bill English, the New Zealand 28 percent tax rate, combined with previously ... Read More