8 March 2000

BUDGET POLICY STATEMENT SHOWS CULLEN’S CONTEMPT FOR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT

Dr Cullen’s ongoing contempt for the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which Labour opposed in 1994 comes through strongly in today’s Budget Policy Statement, says United New Zealand Party leader, Hon Peter Dunne.

Mr Dunne says the Budget Policy Statement is an insult to the process set out in the Fiscal Responsibility Act and is perfunctory to the point of tedium.

“It is all just meaningless waffle – and nothing more than a game of mirrors by Dr Cullen.”

“It may well fulfil the letter of the law, but it is otherwise a rather useless document as to the Government’s intentions,” he says.

Mr Dunne says the only clear bottom line of the Budget Policy Statement is that as it has done with ACC, F16s, the Employment Contracts Act, bulk funding, and tax rates, this Government will do exactly what it wants, regardless of the impacts.

“This blandest Budget Policy Statement ever confirms that Dr Cullen is a mere pawn of the big spending extreme left wing elements in the Labour and Alliance Caucuses.”

“That is extremely bad news for New Zealand.”

“The only clear sign from today’s Budget Policy Statement is that the hard-won gains of recent years are about to be frittered away by the most profligate Minister of Finance in more than a generation,” Mr Dunne says.

ENDS
New Zealand’s Liberal Party

MEDIA STATEMENT
HON PETER DUNNE, MP
LEADER UNITED NEW ZEALAND
Parliament Buildings, Wellington 1.
h (04)471 9410 or (025) 469 808. Fax (04)499 7266.
e-mail: peter.dunne@parliament.govt.nz. Internet Address: http://www.united.org.nz

New Zealand’s Liberal Party

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