• “If they can do it in Australia then we already have a model to follow.”

• “NO GST ON FOOD… GOODNESS… LET US FEED OUR KIDS… AND STOP STRANGLING THE PEOPLE WITH OVER TAXING….”

• “GST discriminates especially on those on lower incomes. I am a low income earner, finding it impossible to exist on what I earn. Why should low income earners be GST taxed to subsidise tax cuts for the rich? Children suffer the most. This is immoral and disgraceful.”

• “GST should be exempted from all food to ensure our young have a good start in life. Taxpayers money will be saved 10 fold in later years if health and children’s nutritional needs can be addressed early.”

• “It’s wrong, it’s unfair and it’s making those less well off unable to feed themselves or their families properly. If it can be done in the UK, there is no reason why it cannot be done here. Take GST off food.”

• “Tax financial speculation on food products and press other countries for a global regime to prevent food prices from artificial, unnecessary shocks.”

• “Food tax is punishing to the poor. As the global recession bites deeper more and more Kiwis are joining the ranks of the poor and struggling.. Do what’s right and fair – Remove GST on food.”

• “We urgently need a fairer tax system. At present, we continually hear from elements of the ruling political elite that the tax system should be changed to make it even more unjust. Take a look overseas at what is happening in Europe and elsewhere around the world. “Ordinary people” are no longer prepared to tolerate the lies and abuses of neo-liberalism. Get real!”

• “Time to go for the real thieves (speculators) who have shafted us for so long.”

• “It makes absolutely no sense to force the poorest percentile of our population to pay more tax to compensate for the tax cuts that the richest percentile has benefited from. We can expect that such measures will lead to increased poverty and as a result increased crime and destitution. Is that the sort of country we want to live in?”

• “Financial speculation on food items is obscene and grossly humanly unjust.”

• “Adopt a financial transactions tax (which would throw sand in the wheels of speculation first and foremost) and we could abolish the poor-gouging GST altogether.”

• “It is obscene that financial speculators are allowed to play with people’s lives by speculating on food worldwide. The effects of this activity are being increasingly felt globally. I request that the National Government remove the GST on food, as Australia does. I request in addition that the financial transactions of financial traders incur a tax from IRD, because at the moment traders are making money on financial transactions without paying their fair share towards the country’s running costs. It is a total anomaly that this has been allowed to continue for so long. This loophole must be closed forthwith, in order to force these traders to contribute as other citizens have to. It is entirely inappropriate that a powerful and often unseen elite are allowed to profit in this way at the expense of every other sector, with the additional abhorrence of forcing food and other commodity prices up so that they can profit freely with no consequences to their own pockets. The National Government must act decisively to root out this abhorrent practice from our society.”

• “The increase in GST affects those most who spend most of their income on food and their other daily needs – those with the least income. The tax breaks issued by the current government do not offset the increase in GST and the effect this increase has had on food prices. A real positive change, particularly for those thousands of New Zealanders with low income, would be lower food prices. No or considerably lower GST on food can achieve that. Have a look at the German model!”

• “Great campaign. I’m all for it, I don’t know how some people are surviving. I’m all for the equitable distribution of our resources, the gap between the rich and the poor is getting worse. I don’t understand why people are allowed to have so much money when our children are going hungry.”

• “Tax on food is outrageous.”

• “Financial speculation sucks money out of the real economy into a false economy from where it never returns. It is immoral that banks, financial institutions and speculators make record profits, billions upon billions of dollars whilst the hard working wage slaves in the real economy who generate real wealth face more and more hardship. The entire monetary and economic system needs a complete rethink, this is a great start. Such a small percentage will still leave plenty of profit for those that worship it, but will also enable the real economy top start functioning again.”

• “Bring on the Hone Heke Tax!!!”

• “Financial Transaction Taxes. Remove GST off everything! No Privatization of our assets!”

• “Stop taxing basic food consumption, start taxing the financial transactions of wealthy money-market manipulators. They are businesses making profits, they should pay the tax they’re due, not low-income families struggling to keep their children fed.”

• “Tax the super rich because it is not fair that the rich just get richer and the poor get poorer.”

If you would like to add your name to the Tax Justice petition which requests Parliament to 1) Remove GST from food; and 2) Tax financial speculation, click here.