National deliver Labour-Green Budget
The Taxpayers’ Union is awarding Bill English’s seventh budget a “2 out of 10” describing it as what voters would have expected from a
Labour-Green Government.
Jordan Williams, Executive Director of the Taxpayers’ Union, says:
“This is without a doubt Bill English’s most left-wing Budget. Voters elected a National-led Government to get the books
back into surplus and control government spending. Instead today’s Budget introduces a new tax on travel, fails to
address wasteful government spending, and increases hand-outs.”
“Instead of fiscal discipline and a surplus, this is a big spending budget with a tiny surplus based on wishful
thinking. The big winners are beneficiary families, bureaucrats and recipients of corporate welfare.”
“The Budget splashes out on even more corporate welfare, and widens the gap between those in work, paying taxes, and
those on benefits.”
“Paying more for beneficiaries to have children isn’t a step forward in terms of ensuring more children aren’t brought
into the poverty cycle. The Government would be far better to spend the money getting people back into work.”
“The Government’s adjustments to welfare go further than anything Helen Clark did. They reduce the incentive for
beneficiaries to get off welfare and into work.”
“This Budget will shock those who voted for National to fend off a big spending Labour-Green government. National appear
to have taken ‘see a problem, throw some money at it’ approach.”
“From a taxpayer perspective, this is Mr English’s worst Budget.”
ENDS