Christopher Luxon’s failure to answer questions about whether those who receive benefits will be worse off under his policies off while landlords are set to gain millions, is because he knows it’s true, Labour Finance Spokesperson Grant Robertson said.

“If National wins, children in poverty will lose. Christopher Luxon knows this which is why he won’t admit the damage his policies will do,” Grant Robertson said.

“National’s fiscal plan published last week makes crystal clear that removing Labour’s existing policy of indexing benefits to wages will “save” $2 billion over the next four years. It’s written in black and white on page seven of the plan. This is $2 billion that some of the lowest income New Zealanders will not be getting. They are far worse off as a result.

“Christopher Luxon should be front up with New Zealanders about the impact. No amount of dancing around the question can deny the facts that are in his own fiscal plan.

“It Is a real statement of National’s priorities that in the same fiscal plan they are giving back to landlords more than $2 billion by restoring interest deductibility.

“For about 300 landlords who own a large amount of property, analysis indicates they will get more than $1 million each from National.

“National’s tax plan is a scam and more and more New Zealanders are seeing that. The fact that only 3000 families out of approximately 1.6 million will get the $250 a fortnight that National have trumpeted has created a massive credibility gap.

“On top of that the cost of National’s tax cuts are starkly clear. More children in poverty, no funding for action on climate change, and the return of offshore buyers to the property market, pushing up inflation and pushing out first home buyers.

“It is clear from this policy that if National wins, New Zealand loses.

“Labour is committed to our policy to increase benefits in line with wages, which has been described by the former Children’s Commissioner as one of the best things we can do to lift children out of poverty. We will also keep the foreign buyer ban and the Climate Emergency Response Fund.

“We know that times have been tough for Kiwis, but the economy is turning a corner, and we cannot afford to go backwards as National is trying to take us,” Grant Robertson said.

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