Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Licence needed for work use Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Government Expenditure Still Out of Control

Government Expenditure Still Out of Control

The most concerning aspect of Budget 2010 is its failure to stop the expansion of Government expenditure, ACT New Zealand Finance Spokesman Sir Roger Douglas said today.

"While I applaud the reductions in tax – which could have gone further – it’s deeply troubling that the growth in Government expenditure continues to outstrip inflation. Core Crown expenses are set to rise almost 10 percent in the 2010/11 financial year," Sir Roger said.

"To be fair, part of that increase – approximately two percentage points – is attributable to the increase in GST. Even taking this into account, the rate of increase is almost four times higher than inflation is right now, me


"Given how terrible fiscal management has been since 1996, it is easy to overestimate the positives in this budget. So long as Government expenditure growth continues to outstrip inflation, then the real size of Government is increasing. National – the party that believes in private enterprise and the power of tax cuts – is increasing Government expenditure.
"If National were able to apply greater levels of fiscal control, then taxes could be cut further. The medium term goal for this conserva

ENDS


Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

Featured News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.