Draught beer excise tax has been frozen in Australia and there are calls for the same to be done here.

The goal is to relieve some pressure on local pubs.

It rises in New Zealand automatically every year, while beer consumption has fallen to the lowest on record.

Founder and Director at Abandoned Brewery Tim Ward told Ryan Bridge he questions what the tax is trying to achieve.

He says it's meant to offset alcohol harm and discourage consumption, but it's a blunt instrument.

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New Zealand homeowners are holding onto their properties for the longest period yet.

A report by Cotality NZ reveals the median hold period for profitable re-sales hit a record 10.1 years for the fourth quarter of last year.

Resale profits have also stabilised, with 88% of homes selling for more than their purchase price.

Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson told Ryan Bridge the housing market is pretty flat, so if you want to make some kind of gain you have to hold on for longer than in the past.

He says there’s a stark difference between those who hold on 10-20 years and have a higher chance of making a profit, versus those who sell after only three or four years, who have a higher chance of making a loss.

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Signs of fatigue with another review of the country's Covid-19 response now in the works.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis new inquiry looks at the Reserve Bank's monetary policy decisions, including printing $55 billion.

Findings are to be released just weeks before Election Day.

Massey University business professor Claire Matthews says there's potentially some value in it, but the timing feels like an election ploy.

She told Ryan Bridge we're also now six years past the start of Covid.

Matthews says the Reserve Bank has also already done a review and taken lessons from it, so how much more are we going to learn.

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