Media Statement -Thursday, 25 March, 2004

Copeland: Family tax breaks should come first

The tax breaks and other assistance promised by the Government to families with children and amounting to $1 billion per annum when fully implemented should rank ahead of tax cuts for the rich, according to United Future Revenue spokesman Gordon Copeland.

He was responding to comments by ACT's Rodney Hide urging National leader Don Brash to drop the personal tax rate from 39 cents to 25 cents in the dollar within three years of taking office, even for the very wealthy.

"However Mr Hide is silent concerning ACT's support or otherwise for the $1 billion package. Do they care at all for the welfare of hard working NZ families with children?

"United Future's approach is more holistic. We want to see the threshold for the 39 cent rate lifted from $60,000 to about $66,000, the company tax rate reduced to 30 cents, income splitting for couples raising kids, and fully support the Government's assistance to low and middle income working families, superannuitants and beneficiaries raising children.

"Mr Hide recommends that voters on the extreme right support ACT as a coalition partner for Dr Brash but there is a better choice. The obvious course is for those who believe that New Zealand can choose both faster economic growth and build families is to vote United Future, thus providing a Dr Brash-led government with a coalition partner dedicated to those goals."

Ends.

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