A THEORY OF WASTE
In 1776, Scottish thinker Adam Smith wrote the book The Wealth of Nations to explain why countries grow rich. The Waste of Nations is about the opposite – how countries waste money and become poor.
The goal of every society must be to spend tax income on the right things and to spend it efficiently. Unfortunately, we often experience the opposite. Taxpayers’ money is spent on the wrong things and when it is spent on the right things, it isn’t as effective as it might be.
How can we explain why tax money is being spent on the wrong things and why efficiency is so often lacking? This waste is not accidental and it cannot all be laid at the door of individuals, political parties or interests. There are patterns, underlying mechanisms, that are well documented in economic research.
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Hunua Ranges goat cull that killed zero goats
Hunua Ranges has a targeted surveillance programme to keep goat numbers low. Auckland Council spent $91,742 on a Hunua Ranges goat cull in 2016/17 that killed zero goats.Vote -
Taxpayers Shell Out For Epic Turtle Journey
Taxpayers shelled out thousands of dollars transporting a dead turtle from Banks Peninsula to Wellington, storing it in a freezer for 21 months, then sending it back down to where it washed up for a…Vote -
Société de l’Assurance Automobile du Québec buys App for $458 million
Normally, apps are awesome because they let us order everything from socks to sushi without leaving the couch. In Quebec, a government app forced drivers to line up around the block trying to get their…Vote
