spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says:
“Grant Robertson’s broken promises on residential taxes have led the Government down a dangerous path. Higher taxes on landlords were always going to lead to rent hikes, but rent control is not the answer.”
“Rent control is a discredited policy that will see a litany of costly unintended consequences. Renters will desperately cling to rent-controlled tenancies, reducing liquidity in the market and locking others out. Meanwhile landlords will make up revenue shortfalls by neglecting basic maintenance.”
Today the
Taxpayers’ Union released a podcast interview with Infometrics economist Brad Olsen, delving into the unintended consequences of rent control. Meanwhile, the New Zealand Initiative has released a roundup of the failings of rent control in San Francisco, Massachusetts, and Stockholm.