Wellington, Feb 11 NZPA - Finance Minister Bill English is defending his change in heart on GST hikes, saying times have changed.

(fixing dateline) Wellington, Feb 11 NZPA - Labour is attacking Finance Minister Bill English for saying last year he wanted to maintain GST at 12.5 percent.

Wellington, Feb 10 NZPA - Labour is attacking Finance Minister Bill English for saying last year he wanted to maintain GST at 12.5 percent.

Wellington, Feb 10 NZPA - Prime Minister John Key is defending his 2008 comment that he would not raise GST.

Wellington, Feb 10 NZPA - During the election campaign John Key ruled out increasing GST. Yesterday the now Prime Minister said an increase was on the cards.

Wellington, Feb 10 NZPA - Property investors will find it hard to argue they should continue to claim depreciation of buildings that were increasing in value while not paying tax on that increase, Tax Working Group member John Shewan says.

Neither Labour nor National would consider raising GST to 15 percent. John Shewan, a specialist tax partner and chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers New Zealand, told the New Zealand Herald that GST could hit 15 percent and the top personal tax rate increase to 45 percent.