Easter Trading Laws Unfair and Unnecessary

act-on-campus

Fri Mar 29 2013 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Easter Trading Laws Unfair and Unnecessary

Friday, 29 March 2013, 10:39 am
Press Release: ACT On Campus

This weekend thousands of businesses will be forced to close, the sale of liquor will be prohibited, and countless Kiwis will be denied the right to work.

ACT on Campus Policy Co-ordinator, Louis Houlbrooke, says it is time for Parliament to re-consider Easter trading laws.

“ACT on Campus believes in the freedom to trade and the freedom to work. Easter Trading laws violate this freedom by effectively telling the country that it has no choice but to shut down for the day. While no-one should be forced to work during Easter, those who choose to work should have the right to do so.”

“The restriction on alcohol sales is a prime example of nanny-statism and religious justifications for the ban are no longer relevant to many members of New Zealand’s increasingly diverse society. It also leads to absurd situations such as on Easter Friday when people queue outside nightclubs which are forced to keep their doors closed until 12:01 am.”

“It’s also worth considering the enormous amount of productivity that is sacrificed by effectively suffocating economic activity for two whole days. Small businesses in particular struggle as many cannot afford the costs incurred by restrictions on weekend trade and alcohol sales.”

ACT on Campus will campaign for reform of Easter trading laws and hopes its parent party, ACT, will do the same.
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