# taxpayer (audio feeds) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 3 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover taxpayer. Page: Feed: --- ## Taxpayer Talk: Simon Court on the RMA shakedown holding New Zealand hostage _2026-08-18 · Taxpayer Talk_ In this episode of Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams is joined by ACT’s infrastructure and resource management spokesman Simon Court to take aim at the planning rules he says are stopping New Zealand from building the homes, roads, ports, quarries, power lines, and infrastructure we desperately need. From eye-watering consent costs and “cultural shakedowns” to lizard surveys, gold-plated planning… [Listen](https://www.buzzsprout.com/944017/episodes/19398238-taxpayer-talk-simon-court-on-the-rma-shakedown-holding-new-zealand-hostage.mp3) ## [Sally Pipes: "CMS Undermining Next Generation of Medicines"](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-cms-undermining-next) _2026-08-18 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ Treating distinct FDA-approved products as though they were the same drug doesn’t merely reinterpret the statute—it weakens the incentives that drive medical progress. ## [Sally Pipes: "Medicare’s Drug Price Controls Could Actually Raise Prices In The Long Run"](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-medicares-drug-price) _2026-08-17 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ Washington can mandate a lower price today. It cannot mandate robust competition tomorrow. ## [Sally Pipes: "Medicare’s Drug-Pricing Proposal Carries A Hidden Cost"](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-medicares-drug-pricing) _2026-08-11 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ Drugmakers have already begun adjusting investment decisions in response to the Inflation Reduction Act and a new proposal to Medicare’s prescription drug price control scheme. ## [Sally Pipes: "Before Embracing Medicare for All, the U.S. Should Look at Britain"](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-before-embracing-medicare) _2026-08-10 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ Some 8.43 million Britons have purchased private medical insurance to escape their National Health Service. Under leading Medicare for All proposals, Americans would not have that option. ## [Brian Mew: "Medi-Cal Is Running Out of Money. A Billionaire Tax is the Worst Solution."](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/brian-mew-medi-cal-is-running-out) _2026-08-07 · Brian Mew · Benjamin Rush Institute_ California does not have a revenue problem. Objectively, it has a spending problem. A bad one, at that. ## [Why More Government Won't Fix Health Care](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/why-more-government-wont-fix-health) _2026-08-04 · Brian Mew · Benjamin Rush Institute_ If more government is the solution, why have decades of expanding its regulatory powers only brought higher costs, fewer choices, and a dissolution of the doctor-patient relationship? ## [Sally Pipes: "Medicare's Physician Pay Cut Will Cost Patients"](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-medicares-physician-pay) _2026-08-04 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ Cutting physician reimbursement may reduce spending on paper. But it also means fewer doctors, longer waits for appointments, and more care shifting into expensive hospital settings. ## [Sally Pipes: "Hospital Price Transparency is Good Politics—and Good Policy"](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-hospital-price-transparency) _2026-08-03 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ To function properly, markets require information. Patients and payers can’t reward lower-cost providers—and hospitals have little reason to compete—when prices are hidden. ## [Recap: Why Autonomy Matters: The Case for Direct Primary Care with Dr. Shane Purcell](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/recap-why-autonomy-matters-the-case) _2026-07-31 · Brian Mew · Benjamin Rush Institute_ Will the future of health care be decided by Congress, special interest groups, insurers, or conglomerates? Or will it instead be physicians who simply decide to practice differently? [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/209301123/384f92099787dbc18c4b8ac66359868e.mp3) ## [Point a Domain, Start a Pit (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/hsAAKoboSPqw) _2026-07-31 · **Sponsored**_ Point any domain to a blacked-out, poison-green coming-soon page with an email waitlist. ## [Sally Pipes: "Medicare Pays Billions For Obesity’s Consequences. Its GLP-1 Bridge Offers A Better Way"](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-medicare-pays-billions) _2026-07-28 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ For years, Medicare has paid for the complications of obesity while refusing to cover some of the most effective treatments for the disease itself. It's time to correct that contradiction. ## [Sally Pipes: "Why Are States Taxing Companies for Hiring Poor People?"](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-why-are-states-taxing) _2026-07-27 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ If legislators make hiring a Medicaid recipient more expensive than hiring someone else, employers won't happily eat that cost. They will look for ways to avoid it. ## [Pushing Back Against the Trump Administration's Efforts to Weaken Coal Ash Rules](https://soundcloud.com/user-504691926/pushing-back-against-the-trump) _2026-07-27 · Environmental Integrity Project_ More than 2,000 coal-ash waste dumps across the U.S. are slowly leaking lead, arsenic, mercury, and other toxic metals into our underground water supplies. Under the Obama Administration, in 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency imposed the nation’s first-ever federal rules for controlling coal ash pollution. But now, the Trump Administration is trying to gut these rules and exempt old… [Listen](https://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2368980575-user-504691926-pushing-back-against-the-trump.mp3) ## [Sally Pipes: "Don't Blame Breakthrough Drugs for Costs, Fix Hospital Market"](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-dont-blame-breakthrough) _2026-07-21 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ Spending that buys longer, healthier lives is an investment. Spending driven by consolidation and distorted incentives is waste. ## [Sally Pipes: "The Hidden Contracts Keeping Hospital Prices High"](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-the-hidden-contracts) _2026-07-18 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ As hospitals have grown bigger and negotiated more restrictive contracts, prices for patients have only skyrocketed. Now, federal antitrust officials are beginning to take notice—and push back. ## [Sally Pipes: "ACA's Patient Choice Boondoggle Not Aging Well"](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-acas-patient-choice-boondoggle) _2026-07-10 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ Fifteen years after ACA's passage, our healthcare system is less affordable, less competitive, and less fiscally sustainable. Yet many progressives argue for even greater government control. ## Taxpayer Talk: Deputy PM David Seymour on woke regulators, KiwiSaver, and ACT’s election fight _2026-07-09 · Taxpayer Talk_ In this episode of Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams is joined by ACT Leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour for a wide-ranging pre-election interview on coalition tensions, regulatory overreach, free speech, KiwiSaver, Treaty politics, and ACT’s record in Government. From “political neutrality” rules for regulators and the Ministry of Regulation’s war on red tape, to compulsory savings, bond… [Listen](https://www.buzzsprout.com/944017/episodes/19398446-taxpayer-talk-deputy-pm-david-seymour-on-woke-regulators-kiwisaver-and-act-s-election-fight.mp3) ## [Sally Pipes: "Trump's Healthcare Fraud Crackdown Is Paying Off"](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-trumps-healthcare-fraud) _2026-07-08 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ Those who steal from programs intended to serve seniors, low-income families, and people with disabilities should expect to be caught. Taxpayers and patients deserve nothing less. ## [Sally Pipes: "States are Grumbling About Medicaid Work Requirements. Taxpayers Shouldn't."](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-states-are-grumbling) _2026-07-06 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ Medicaid grows larger, more expensive, and less focused every year. Work requirements will save taxpayers money, encourage upward mobility, and ensure Medicaid resources go to those who need it most. ## [Sally Pipes: "Trump Takes Aim At Hospitals' Pricey Lack of Transparency"](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-trump-takes-aim-at-hospitals) _2026-07-02 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ In virtually every sector of the economy, consumers compare prices before making decisions. But in healthcare, prices are often hidden, allowing hospitals to engage in questionable pricing practices. ## [Find what they just said (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/v4fQnt4J4nlB) _2026-07-02 · **Sponsored**_ Surface recent public signals so you can send policy-aware, relevant outreach ## [Sally Pipes: "Healthcare Costs Keep Rising. Hospitals are a Big Reason Why."](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-healthcare-costs-keep) _2026-07-01 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ Hospitals are consolidating markets, exploiting federal programs and using their growing leverage to raise prices for patients and taxpayers alike. Why? Because federal policy incentivizes it. ## [Sally Pipes: "The Real Lesson Of America’s Rising Uninsured Rate"](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-the-real-lesson-of-americas) _2026-06-30 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ If policymakers want more Americans to obtain coverage, they need to make insurance better and cheaper—not merely more heavily subsidized. ## [Dr. Sonny Morton: This is How You Become a Slave](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/dr-sonny-morton-this-is-how-you-become) _2026-06-30 · Sonny Morton, MD · Benjamin Rush Institute_ Are physicians in control of their own profession? Or are they effectively slaves to an uncaring bureaucracy? ## [Sally Pipes: "Declining Obamacare Enrollment Isn’t the Crisis Critics Claim"](https://benjaminrush1776.substack.com/p/sally-pipes-declining-obamacare-enrollment) _2026-06-23 · Benjamin Rush Institute_ Inflated enrollment totals by themselves are not signs of success. They are evidence of weak oversight, improper subsidy payments, and a system vulnerable to abuse. ## Taxpayer Talk: Jordan Williams and economist Cam Bagrie on Budget 2026 _2026-05-28 · Taxpayer Talk_ Jordan is fresh out of the Budget 2026 lockup and joined by economist Cam Bagrie to unpack whether the Government’s numbers really stack up. They warn the Budget is heavy on promises, light on proof, and may rely too much on inflation, backloaded savings, and heroic assumptions to get back to surplus. From rising borrowing costs and “promise-enomics” to the demographic time bomb of superannuation… [Listen](https://www.buzzsprout.com/944017/episodes/19252389-taxpayer-talk-jordan-williams-and-economist-cam-bagrie-on-budget-2026.mp3) ## Taxpayer Talk: Nick Clark and Jordan Williams on why council amalgamation could make town halls even worse _2026-05-25 · Taxpayer Talk_ In this episode of Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams is joined by Nick Clark from the New Zealand Initiative and Jordan Williams (Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director) to break down the Government’s plan to slash New Zealand’s 78 local authorities down to as few as 15. They explain why bigger councils do not necessarily mean lower rates, better services, or fewer bureaucrats — and why amalgamation… [Listen](https://www.buzzsprout.com/944017/episodes/19232311-taxpayer-talk-nick-clark-and-jordan-williams-on-why-council-amalgamation-could-make-town-halls-even-worse.mp3) ## Taxpayer Talk: Ruth Richardson on New Zealand’s fiscal reckoning _2026-05-20 · Taxpayer Talk_ In this episode of Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams is joined by former Finance Minister and Taxpayers’ Union Chair Ruth Richardson for a no-holds-barred warning about New Zealand’s worsening fiscal mess. From exploding debt and runaway interest costs to bloated bureaucracy, superannuation reform, and a Government that still hasn’t found its “brave pills”, Ruth lays out why the country may be… [Listen](https://www.buzzsprout.com/944017/episodes/19213232-taxpayer-talk-ruth-richardson-on-new-zealand-s-fiscal-reckoning.mp3) ## [Trump Administration Invokes Wartime Law to Boost U.S. Petroleum Industry](https://soundcloud.com/user-504691926/trump-administration-invokes) _2026-05-06 · Environmental Integrity Project_ Although the Trump Administration's war on Iran was not authorized by Congress, President Trump is using it as a pretext to invoke a wartime law and provide subsidies and support to his allies in the U.S. petroleum industry. The White House recently released a memo saying the President is using the Defense Production Act of 1950 to increase domestic petroleum production. We talk about the… [Listen](https://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2315835197-user-504691926-trump-administration-invokes.mp3) ## Taxpayer Talk: Professor Elizabeth Rata on the decline of education in New Zealand _2026-04-23 · Taxpayer Talk_ Why did New Zealand’s education system "turn to custard" in 1971? In this episode of Taxpayer Talk, host Peter Williams sits down with Professor Elizabeth Rata to explore how the nation moved from a world-class, knowledge-rich curriculum to one dominated by "social constructivism" and "learnification”. Elizabeth also lifts the lid on how the rejection of liberalism and nation-building has failed… [Listen](https://www.buzzsprout.com/944017/episodes/19003835-taxpayer-talk-professor-elizabeth-rata-on-the-decline-of-education-in-new-zealand.mp3) ## Taxpayer Talk: Oliver Hartwich on restoring democratic control of the Public Service _2026-04-13 · Taxpayer Talk_ In this episode of Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams sits down with Oliver Hartwich, Executive Director of the New Zealand Initiative, to discuss why he believes the country’s public service is "fundamentally broken" and incompatible with implementing good policy. Oliver explains how the 1988 reforms inadvertently created a state where department heads are more beholden to the Public Service… [Listen](https://www.buzzsprout.com/944017/episodes/19003510-taxpayer-talk-oliver-hartwich-on-restoring-democratic-control-of-the-public-service.mp3) ## [World's cheapest GPUs, deployed fast (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/M4qckzXFwlyG) _2026-04-13 · **Sponsored**_ Deploy a live GPU-backed API in minutes for under $10 ## Taxpayer Talk: Marian Tupy on why the world Is better than you think _2026-04-02 · Taxpayer Talk_ What if the world is actually getting better — and we just can't see it? In this episode, host Jordan Williams sits down with Marian Tupy, senior fellow at the Cato Institute and founder of HumanProgress.org, to challenge the doom and gloom dominating today's headlines. Drawing on his books Super Abundance and 10 Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know , Tupy makes a data-driven case that… [Listen](https://www.buzzsprout.com/944017/episodes/18948138-taxpayer-talk-marian-tupy-on-why-the-world-is-better-than-you-think.mp3) ## Taxpayer Talk: David Farrar on the methodology and influence of political polling _2026-03-19 · Taxpayer Talk_ Our latest Taxpayers’ Union–Curia poll sent Wellington into a frenzy at the beginning of March. But in this week’s Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams sits down with Curia founder - and Taxpayers’ Union co-founder - David Farrar to separate the signal from the spin. Are polls actually driving political decisions, or just measuring them? And why do politicians pay attention, even when they ignore the… [Listen](https://www.buzzsprout.com/944017/episodes/18866790-taxpayer-talk-david-farrar-on-the-methodology-and-influence-of-political-polling.mp3) ## Taxpayer Talk: Roger Partridge on selling public assets to build better infrastructure _2026-03-04 · Taxpayer Talk_ The New Zealand Initiative Chair Roger Partridge joins Taxpayer Talk with Peter Williams to discuss a new report arguing New Zealand could unlock more than $24 billion for essential infrastructure by recycling mature Crown-owned commercial assets. Roger explains how redirecting capital tied up in government-owned companies such as Air New Zealand, Kiwibank and the mixed ownership electricity… [Listen](https://www.buzzsprout.com/944017/episodes/18786160-taxpayer-talk-roger-partridge-on-selling-public-assets-to-build-better-infrastructure.mp3) ## [Trump Administration Proposes to Strip Protections from 70 Million Acres of Wetlands](https://soundcloud.com/user-504691926/trump-administration-proposes-to-strip-protections-from-70-million-acres-of-wetlands) _2025-12-01 · Environmental Integrity Project_ Wetlands are miracles of nature. They work as the world’s kidneys, filtering and cleaning our water. Wetlands capture carbon dioxide more effectively than even forests and act as cradles of life for biodiversity, sheltering many endangered species. Despite all this, the Trump Administration on November 17 proposed regulations that would strip federal protections from more than 80 percent of… [Listen](https://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2223461915-user-504691926-trump-administration-proposes-to-strip-protections-from-70-million-acres-of-wetlands.mp3) ## [Louisiana Scientist Stands up to Censorship of Her Study Critical of the Petrochemical Industry](https://soundcloud.com/user-504691926/louisiana-scientist-stands-up-to-censorship-of-her-study-critical-of-the-petrochemical-industry) _2025-08-07 · Environmental Integrity Project_ On this week's podcast we interviewed EIP's visiting scientist, Dr. Kimberly Terrell. Facing a gag order imposed on her by Tulane University leadership because her study on racial discrimination in petrochemical industry jobs reportedly angered Louisiana’s governor, Dr. Terrell faced a new decision - remain silent and sacrifice her scientific integrity, or resign in protest, speaking out publicly… [Listen](https://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2149568151-user-504691926-louisiana-scientist-stands-up-to-censorship-of-her-study-critical-of-the-petrochemical-industry.mp3) ## [Breaking Down the Fossil Fuel Handouts in Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill”](https://soundcloud.com/user-504691926/breaking-down-the-fossil-fuel-handouts-in-trumps-big-beautiful-bill) _2025-07-15 · Environmental Integrity Project_ The $4 trillion Republican spending bill, signed by President Trump on July Fourth, is packed with giveaways to the oil and gas industry. These include tax breaks, opening more public lands and offshore acres to drilling, and a lowering of royalty rates that oil and gas companies must pay for extracting fuel from government lands. Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful” bill is also full of ugly… [Listen](https://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2131359693-user-504691926-breaking-down-the-fossil-fuel-handouts-in-trumps-big-beautiful-bill.mp3) ## [The Attack on Community Air Monitoring in State Legislatures](https://soundcloud.com/user-504691926/the-attack-on-community-air-monitoring-in-state-legislatures) _2025-07-10 · Environmental Integrity Project_ State legislatures are seeing a wave of industry-backed bills that would ban or restrict the public’s ability to test for air pollution in local communities. Last year, the Louisiana legislature effectively banned community groups from using their own air monitoring to warn residents about pollution or publicly advocate for cleanups. Violators can face penalties of up to $32,500 per day, plus $1… [Listen](https://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2127970308-user-504691926-the-attack-on-community-air-monitoring-in-state-legislatures.mp3) ## [Why Trump’s “Drill, Baby, Drill” Agenda is Backfiring, with Less Drilling but Pricier Gas](https://soundcloud.com/user-504691926/why-trumps-drill-baby-drill-agenda-is-backfiring-with-less-drilling-but-pricier-gas) _2025-05-06 · Environmental Integrity Project_ President Trump won election to his second term promising an “American Energy Dominance” agenda that would stimulate more oil drilling and cut the price of energy in half for consumers. Despite pledges of dramatic regulatory cuts, after his first quarter in office, neither is happening. Drilling is down compared to the first quarter of 2024 and gasoline prices are up, according to data from the… [Listen](https://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2091814905-user-504691926-why-trumps-drill-baby-drill-agenda-is-backfiring-with-less-drilling-but-pricier-gas.mp3) ## [The Role of Minerals and Oil in President Trump’s Desire to Seize Greenland](https://soundcloud.com/user-504691926/the-role-of-minerals-and-oil-in-president-trumps-desire-to-seize-greenland) _2025-02-21 · Environmental Integrity Project_ Although he did not mention it during his campaign, since taking office, President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested the U.S. should buy or seize Greenland – the largest island in the world, and part of the Kingdom of Denmark. A U.S. Geological Survey study estimates that there are 31 billion barrels of oil in eastern Greenland, and beneath the ice are also rare earth metals needed for… [Listen](https://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2043549328-user-504691926-the-role-of-minerals-and-oil-in-president-trumps-desire-to-seize-greenland.mp3) ## [Oil Veteran is Skeptical of Republican Plans to Produce More Oil by Fast-Tracking Permit Approvals](https://soundcloud.com/user-504691926/oil-veteran-is-skeptical-of-republican-plans-to-produce-more-oil-by-fast-tracking-permit-approvals) _2025-01-16 · Environmental Integrity Project_ When President Trump takes office, one of the first things he is expected to do is to accelerate the approval of permits to drill for oil and gas on federal land. But this is likely to have little to no impact on the production of fuel from federal lands. Why? Because there are already more than 6,000 approved drilling permits and millions of acres of leases owned by oil and gas companies on… [Listen](https://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2010629463-user-504691926-oil-veteran-is-skeptical-of-republican-plans-to-produce-more-oil-by-fast-tracking-permit-approvals.mp3) ## [Billions of Dollars in Taxpayer Subsidies Support Carbon Capture. Is it a Massive Waste?](https://soundcloud.com/user-504691926/billions-of-dollars-in-taxpayer-subsidies-support-carbon-capture-is-it-a-massive-waste) _2024-12-18 · Environmental Integrity Project_ One of President Biden’s signature achievements to combat climate change has been the approval of billions of dollars in federal subsidies to encourage carbon capture and storage. It sounds good: capturing carbon dioxide from industry, then piping it underground so it can’t heat the planet. But most of these projects don’t really help the climate. They provide taxpayer money to oil and gas… [Listen](https://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1989045187-user-504691926-billions-of-dollars-in-taxpayer-subsidies-support-carbon-capture-is-it-a-massive-waste.mp3)