Labour deputy Kelvin Davis was uncomfortable facing questions on what Labour would do with a capital gains tax.

Labour leader Jacinda Ardern has given her deputy a ticking off for confirming Labour will campaign on a capital gains tax in the next election.

In a confused interview with the AM Show, Kelvin Davis appeared to know little of the detail of Labour's tax stance and seemed to resile from that comment in the next breath.

Ardern said she had not seen the interview, but Davis was "now very clear on our position".

National deputy leader Paula Bennett said New Zealanders had to know what taxes they faced when going to the ballot box.

"I've spoken with Kelvin," she said.

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Labour has faced tough criticism over its decision to establish a tax working group after the election, but not reveal to voters beforehand whether they intended to implement a capital gains tax or any other taxes.

It has campaigned in the last two elections to implement a tax on the capital gains earned on properties, but has remained unclear about whether that would include farms and businesses.

In common capital gains tax scenarios, a tax is levied on the capital gain made on an asset when it's sold - most often houses.

This election, the party is refusing to rule in or out the possibility of capital gains tax at all.

It was the weak spot for Ardern in Thursday night's first TVNZ leaders' debate, and Davis was visibly uncomfortable answering questions on it Friday morning.

Ardern said she was "absolutely clear" on the fact Labour would hold a working group, but refused to answer how far Labour was intending to go with its conclusions and suggested tax changes were more likely to occur in the first term.

"I've absolutely maintained our right, and my right as leader, to make sure when that tax working group reports back that I am able to act in Government in the best interests of New Zealand to try and address the housing crisis."

Davis was asked during an earlier interview if Labour would put the outcomes of its tax working group to the country at the following election - Davis replied: "I can't answer that".

Pressed again he said: "my understanding is we'll campaign on it in the next election". Asked to firm up that answer, on whether Labour would slip it during their first term or take it back to voters to decide, Davis reverted.

"Look, I'm not going to answer that question," he said.

"Because right now I don't know, we've got to have the working group make their decisions and we'll come to the country with whatever they produce."

National deputy leader Paula Bennett said it wasn't good enough.

"The capital gains tax has been your policy since 2007, so you've had at least 10 years to sort it out and tell us what it means for you," she said on the AM Show.

"At the last election if you remember, there was that whole moment of John Key against David Cunliffe - saying 'what is the guts of the CGT', and they couldn't answer.

"Here we are three years later and you still can't answer the details, of a what a Government under you looks like."

Bennett's Government in 2010 under former Prime Minister John Key campaigned on tax cuts in 2008, but did not reveal until 2010 it was considering raising GST to 15 per cent.

Key was both criticised and praised for the move in different quarters, however that Government gave no indication during the campaign it intended to raise GST.

Bennett was defiant on Friday.

"If you want to be in Government, if you want to be running the country, you need to have answers for them. And the public deserve it."

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