Did you know…
how big the gap is between rich and poor?
Did you know that the gap between rich and poor is nearly twice what is was a generation ago/30 years ago?
Did you know that child poverty is twice as high as it was 30 years ago?
Did you know that the CEO of ANZ Bank earns more than $4 million per year? That is $2,000 per hour or about 140 times the amount the person who cleans his office would earn on the minimum wage of $14.25 per hour.
Did you know New Zealand has twice as many people with poor mental health than similar countries with low inequality?
Did you know that New Zealand has three times as many people who are very overweight (obese) than Sweden?
Have you heard that children in New Zealand get sick and die of diseases like rheumatic fever that are usually only found in very poor countries?
New Zealand puts twice as many people into prison as other more equal countries do, even though the level of crime is not very different from those countries.
Leaving 285,000 children in poverty costs us all as a country up to $8,000,000,000 each year (6% of GDP)
…it doesn’t have to be this way!
How about we choose that those on higher incomes and with more wealth should pay more tax to fund better welfare, health care and education?
Did you know only $800 million is the ‘total poverty gap’ or amount it would take to lift everyone out of poverty in New Zealand?
… the kind of benefits greater equality might bring?
