A few weeks ago, I spoke at a breakfast event opened by Maurice Williamson, Minister for customs, Statistics, Land Information and Building and Construction. I wish I had taken the Minister’s remarks more seriously, as I would have been less surprised by the government’s announcement last week: the government is considering options to make credit card companies and online payment services like PayPal collect taxes on online shopping imports. Read more

After decades of shadow boxing and talking about it, the prospect of a trans-Atlantic free trade bloc is a big step closer. On July 8, formal talks began for a US-EU free trade zone, the largest free-trade agreement ever negotiated. Read more

General elections are meant to pick a government and election campaigns to discuss the most important issues facing a country. If that’s your definition of an election, you may wonder whether Germany is really heading to the polls on September 22. Read more

On Monday, European finance ministers agreed to the release of €6.8 billion for Greece. This followed the latest report of the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund troika on Greek reform and austerity measures. Read more

A few years ago, my pet hates in the English language were narrowly defined. They were the handful of words and phrases football star David Beckham typically uttered when reporters courageously interviewed him. Read more

Sometimes Australia seems an odd country indeed. Kevin Rudd’s elevation to the Australian Labor Party (ALP) leadership last week after three years spent undermining his own leader, colleagues and political party, is the latest astonishing development. Read more

Of all the aspects of the euro crisis, the most worrying one is the effect it has had on the younger generation. Across Europe, youth unemployment has reached such proportions there is talk about a lost generation. Read more

There has been no shortage of excitement in Australian politics in recent years. Treachery, back-stabbing, scandals and defections are among the staples of Australian democracy (which one might now instinctively misspell as demo-crazy). Read more

After decades of loose discussions about a trans-Atlantic common market, serious talks on a free trade agreement between the US and the EU are finally about to begin. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will formally start to take shape with a first round of negotiations in Washington on July 8. Read more

It is one of those ideas that come up again and again without ever being properly scrutinised – that a sovereign wealth fund (SWF) like Norway’s is a fantastic idea that deserves to be copied elsewhere, even in New Zealand. Last week, the National Business Review reported that Methanex New Zealand chief executive Harvey Weake is making the case for a Norwegian-style SWF. Read more

If you have not noticed it yet, 2013 is the International Year of Statistics. To celebrate this momentous occasion, Statistics New Zealand invited me to speak at a breakfast event on the trustworthiness of statistics. Read more

The weekend after the Australian federal election, on September 22, Germany will go to the polls. Speculation about the potential outcome lacks any excitement value. Read more

It’s another week in the never-ending euro crisis. There is talk about the need for another Greek haircut before the end of the year. Read more

When the financial crisis started about six years ago, the global policy response was a mixture of monetary and fiscal stimulus. Governments increased spending and hoped for multiplier effects. Read more