WOW that was really prophetic. Its turns out he has and its called milking the highest earners with the tax rate going up to 39% for anyone earning over $180K a year, quite coincidentally the exact profile of the majority of those who travel on business at short notice on AIR and already pay premium fares. Interestingly and in another remarkable coincidence this tax increase is estimated to bring in $500m per annum which by my calculations is remarkably close to what the N.Z. Govt's share of the support AIR will need each year during the Govt's next term.
This amounts to a new form of price gouging and in effect wealthy businessmen who already pay hefty prices for short notice business travel are effectively being charged even more to support AIR through the tax system without even realising it ! Now that's double dipping on price gouging if ever I saw it !!
Now that really is an extremely cunning plan. But wait...as they say in the marketing game, there's more ! By keeping AIR afloat they rake back in most of the $500m in support each year in GST and PAYE so their support is basically an illusion and merely a money swapping exercise.
I doubt you'll ever see a more cunning plan...unless of course they wait until AIR is on its knees and do a Sept 11 MK2 bailout at 25 cents a share fully underwritten by the Govt and grab a much more substantial stake off minority shareholders !