Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaos.Doodles

Kyroh was SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING!! He had never been able to witness a q&a sessions before and especially not when it came to who would be the next Minister of Magic. But MORE exciting than that was- LOOK at how professional his mum looked!

She looked like she could destroy everyone in her path with a nice curt smile and then go right back home and make him some delicious cookies. He shifted Jade off his back and he placed her in a chair before sitting down himself. His dad was here somewhere too but Kyroh wasn't sure exactly where. He couldn't focus on that anyways. Almost as soon as his mum had answered a question Kyroh raised his hand (did you raise your hand in these things? He wasn't sure).

"What are your thoughts on Dragons and possibly intergrading them more into the Wizarding community? Er- this question is for everyone. " The first year university student beamed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayquilz

Because he didn't know anyone, and it was delightful.

But he finally had a question and he raised his hand slightly. "I see many of you have plans to increase the minimum wage-" he raised an eyebrow. "How do you plan on doing so--with what means?" As a rather wealthy fellow, he took interest in this issue. And to be honest, he was a bit on the fence in regards to whether he thought it should be done or not.

This was interesting, and relevant to her. Althea waited for others to respond first, and listened closely to Nolan Reynolds as he spoke and also gave his response to the 100 days question. She had thoughts about some of those things but they could wait for certain. Her trump card would remain unrevealed for now. However she also wasn't the sort of person to run her campaign by tearing others' campaigns to shreds (not that she thought Nolan's was a bad one, he was a very good candidate whom she approved of and would consider endorsing if she herself fell out of the race). So far it seemed the candidates were polite and supportive of one another, or at least she had been lucky to be with this group, who knew what was happening at the other end of the street right now.

She gave it a moment after Nolan and when nobody else spoke up she addressed the man's question about minimum wage increases.

"Any blanket minimum wage increase requires a dialogue with business owners, analysis and consultation with labour economists, and negotiation of potential Wizarding versus muggle taxation. I'm not adverse to liaising with the muggle prime minister regarding additional support through muggle channels as Wizardkind are now contributing greatly to the muggle economy and it may be time to renegotiate the contracts that are already in place.

Its a truth that a blanket minimum wage increase can transfer cost by increasing how much products and services are offered for, or by reducing the number of employees overall, particularly in the case of small and medium sized businesses. However this is balanced by economic stimulation where low-wage workers spend their additional earnings which in turn creates demand for products and services, and therefore more job opportunities.

Its also combated by a reduction in employee turnover- when people are paid more and looked after they are more likely to remain in a role which can reduce employment and training costs, meaning more stability in the workforce. This is where it is particularly relevant to the Ministry, which is where we will begin any establishment and increase of a minimum wage, as a flagship, so to speak.

Quite simply it is already within the current Ministry budget to establish a minimum wage and plan for a gradual increase over time to reflect gains in the Wizarding economy. Galleons are wasted in the ministry when new employees are hired, trained, and then choose to move on to work elsewhere and the cycle must begin again with someone new. This greatly and negatively impacts department efficiency when the turnover remains high. The same pattern occurs on a smaller scale in other Wizarding businesses.

I understand some people may be concerned about tax issues, but it is unlikely to come to that in the foreseeable future as many other avenues are available for our very unique economy, which cannot be modeled directly on that which is employed in the muggle world." Essentially Althea's focus was to do with efficiency, as well as a desire to look after all Wizarding citizens, and she knew how to do it. It was less about shuffling and more about streamlining, and being sure that the community was not disadvantaged in any way. She nodded her thanks at the gentleman who had asked the minimum wage question and waited for the next one.