Wellington, Oct 19 NZPA - Labour and National continued their spat over the cost of living today with both sides claiming in Parliament the other has their figures wrong.

By Peter Wilson of NZPA Auckland, Oct 16 NZPA - Labour's deputy leader Annette King will outline social policy the party is developing when she speaks at its annual conference today.

By Peter Wilson of NZPA Wellington, Oct 15 NZPA - Labour leader Phil Goff will tell his party's annual conference on Sunday that it is time to get back to basics, focus on the issues that really matter and start closing in on National.

Wellington, Oct 7 NZPA - Figures showing median weekly incomes have stagnated for two years, mean that when adjusted for inflation they have fallen more than 4 percent, the Council of Trade Unions says.

Wellington, Oct 1 NZPA - All the arguments about the pros and cons of tax cuts and GST rises have been had and now it will be up to households to decide whether they are better off or not. Today the Government's tax package kicked in and GST went up from 12.5 percent to 15 percent.

Wellington, Oct 1 NZPA - As some people count the extra dollars in their pay packets resulting from tax reforms starting today, a union has taken the opportunity to organise a rally at a retail chain against the reforms' GST component.

Wellington, Sept 30 NZPA - When tax reforms are fully implemented, all income groups will broadly receive about the same proportionate increase in disposable income, says Finance Minister Bill English.

There will be immediate gains for most when the Government's tax reform package takes effect tomorrow, but the extent of those gains in the wider scheme of things remains open for debate. Chris Ormond of NZPA reports.

By Peter Wilson, NZPA Political Editor Wellington, Sept 26 NZPA - Will you be better off this time next week? The Government says you will, the Labour Party says you won't.

Wellington, Sept 21 NZPA - Another tax war broke out in Parliament today and Labour MPs shouted "rubbish" when Prime Minister John Key said the vast majority of people would be better off when the October 1 cuts come in.