Yet another increase in food prices shows the urgent need for the Government to tax wealth and use the money to help people put food on the table.

“As food prices continue to rise, almost half a million people in Aotearoa rely on food banks to afford to eat. Meanwhile, the wealthiest few are continuing to get richer. This simply cannot continue,” says the Green Party spokesperson for commerce and consumer affairs, Ricardo Menéndez March.

“A recent survey showed that rising prices, followed by low incomes and unemployment, were the most common reasons that people went to food banks.

“At the opposite end of town, IRD’s recent report into 311 of Aotearoa’s wealthiest shows that our richest few pay less than half the effective tax of the average family on their hoards of wealth.

“It could not be more stark how unfair the system is, and always has been.

“The Greens know that food banks are not a solution, they are a symptom of the problem. The problem being that successive governments have failed to properly tax wealth in Aotearoa and guaranteed liveable incomes for the people we serve.

“For decades, tax-free capital gains on property have made some people in Aotearoa extremely wealthy. But for those living pay check to pay check, the reality looks very different.

“It’s beyond doubt that the money we need to support everyone in Aotearoa is already there. The only thing standing in the way of using it is political willpower.

“The Government must act and urgently tax wealth and lift people out of poverty.

“With more Green MPs in the next government we can create a better place for everyone,” says Ricardo Menéndez March.

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