The Government is scrambling to appear nonchalant about pouring taxpayers’ earnings down the brain drain, but their excuses don’t pass the sniff test, says Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams. “IRD recently spent $1500 million ($1.5billion) on a new computer system – are Ministers seriously suggesting that it’s not up to filtering those who are overseas.”

“Mr Parker claims that it’s all too hard because IRD doesn’t know who lives where. He is clearly not across his portfolio or has been misled by officials. IRD already get the information when Kiwis leave the country - it is used to apply interest for student loans, and to determine whether someone is tax domiciled here.”

“The claim that IRD can’t discern whether someone is living in New Zealand, or not, is nonsense on stilts. It is dishonest spin to cover-up what appears to be a careless and lazy approach to who is getting taxpayer money.”

“Shrugging off untold amount of taxpayers’ hard-earned cash being sent overseas to people who left as long as twenty years ago is disgraceful. Kiwi taxpayers should not be funding cost of living relief for those not in New Zealand."

Earlier today, the Taxpayers’ Union was contacted by a supporter who advised that his daughter has been in London since 2016 and has received the first cost-of-living payment from the New Zealand Government.

“There are many reports of this from expat Kiwis like her. Just how big will the taxpayers’ bill be for this?”

“The Government has been calling these payments ‘targeted’, but if they can’t even confine the payments to people living in the country that is a mighty big stretch of the meaning of the word.”

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