Give NZers a tax cut, not a hand-out

Wednesday 15 Dec 2004

Dr Muriel Newman - Press Releases - Social Welfare

Social welfare spending is set to rise 28 percent over the next five years, ACT Deputy Leader and Social Welfare spokesman Dr Muriel Newman said today.

Yesterday's Budget Policy Statement and December Economic and Fiscal Update shows welfare spending is forecast to skyrocket by $2.1 billion - from $7.3 billion in 2003/04 to $9.4 billion in 2008/09.

"While Social Development Minister Steve Maharey skites over lower unemployment figures, he continues to oversee massive growth in welfare dependency.

"New Zealanders should be concerned that this Labour Government appears to be determined to entrench welfare dependency in our society.

"ACT believes the best way to help working families is not by giving them welfare handouts, but rather let them keep more of what they earn through lower taxes.

"With the Government sitting on a huge surplus, the time is right to give every hardworking Kiwi a tax cut - and now," Dr Newman said.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>