Butt out Clark

As an artist I always thought that, apart from complying with tax rules, I would escape the clutches of government regulation. Think again.

The front page of the DomPost today reports about plans by Helen Clark, Minister of Arts and Culture and Judith Tizard to impose a 5 percent royalty on paintings resold within seventy years.

I'm not going to argue the merits, or otherwise, of a royalty scheme. Some artists support it, some don't. Which is why some already write such a condition into a contract when they sell their work.

But the meddling, interfering, we-know-best, it's-for-your-own-good, we'll tell-you-what-to-do twins come along and say, you will all do it. We will pass a law.

And just quietly, when you think about it, if the govt can screw another 5 percent out of the purchaser that's another dollop of tax from the royalties earned.

And, as if somebody wants to intentionally wind me up first thing on another day of the interminable school holidays, National spokesman for the Arts, Chris Finlayson doesn't know what he thinks!! What does he call himself? A Blue Liberal, Liberal Blue. Christ Chris. Being Liberal means promoting choice over government compulsion. No?