“Apart from any wealth tax being anti-entrepreneurial, the land tax of Opportunity appears to be a very poor substitute for the income tax on imputed rent that TOP 2017 proposed … Opportunity’s land tax is at best a poor proxy of taxing income from land, but more accurately can be described as a regressive wealth tax much like those proposed by Labour and the Greens [and] a major step backwards in terms of the enlightenment of New Zealand’s tax regime.
“This alone highlights Opportunity’s policy being far more left than right wing. Placing no value on private entrepreneurship as the cornerstone of wealth creation in a democratic, capitalist society is the hallmark of left wing politics. Wealth taxes are hugely dangerous to living standards. There’s no way Opportunity can appeal to centre-right voters with its selective wealth tax. “For centre-right voters, the reason to support Opportunity will fall away quickly once the allure of its refreshingly telegenic leadership passes.”
Morgan founded The Opportunity Party in 2016 but resigned from all party positions in 2019 and withdrew his financial support. By then, he had reportedly contributed approximately $4 million to the party. At the 2023 general election, TOP received just 2.2% of the party vote.