John --
National’s fiscally irresponsible Budget makes the wrong choices and is taking New Zealand backwards.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis repeatedly said she would not be borrowing for tax cuts. But yesterday’s Budget reveals she has borrowed $12 billion – and her income tax cuts cost $10 billion.
National has chosen to use that borrowed money to give wealthier
New Zealanders a bigger tax cut. Minimum wage workers will only
receive the equivalent of 30 cents an hour. A couple on the pension
will only receive $4.50 a week. Families were promised $250 a
fortnight, but most will only receive $60.
This is not what
National promised during the election campaign.
They’ve also
broken their promise around cancer medicines. To promise medication
that would help people live longer, and then not fund it, is nothing
short of heartless.
And it gets worse. Treasury is predicting
unemployment to increase to 5.2 percent, adding 27,000 people to the
Jobseeker benefit in 2025. The Government’s ‘solution’ is to cut more
jobs and sanction those on the benefit.
Child poverty is set
to increase from 12.6 percent to 13.4 percent this year alone, and to
14 percent by 2028. Budgeting services, the arts and Māori
have been left in the dust.
That’s not all:
• Climate
funding has been slashed, and the Climate Emergency Response Fund
has been completely cut.
• Rents are forecast to rise rapidly.
• Funding has been reduced for Māori, including $40 million taken
away from Māori housing providers.
• They’re whittling down the
Warmer Kiwi Homes programme, which supports healthier, more energy
efficient homes.
• The
First Home Grant is gone, locking many Kiwis out of home
ownership.
• Universal free prescriptions have been scrapped.
•
Health and education spending is barely enough to keep the lights
on.
This reckless Budget will not help Kiwis facing an
escalating cost of living. There is nothing in here to support
tenants, to reduce rates, or to help with insurance premiums.
The National Government is putting more stimulus into the
economy when the Reserve Bank is still trying to get inflation down,
which will only keep inflation higher for longer.
Over the
coming weeks, we’ll be out listening to those who will be most
affected by this Budget
of Broken Promises, so we can continue to advocate for our
communities.
With your support, we’ll make it clear that New
Zealander’s deserve better than broken promises.
Ia manuia
Barbara Edmonds
Spokesperson for Finance, Infrastructure
MP
for Mana
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