John Key MP - National Party Finance Spokesman

27 April 2005

Killing the goose that laid the golden egg

National Party Finance spokesman John Key says Labour is “killing the goose that laid the golden egg”.

He is responding to the latest set of business confidence numbers, which shows business confidence has dropped to its lowest level in five years.

“Labour’s luck is running out. All the anti-business changes Labour has introduced have choked growth and now, with the economy teetering on the brink, they will have a far more profound impact.

“The Government, as New Zealand’s largest employer, is facing 20 significant union demands. That, in turn, will lead to greater demands from workers in the private sector. It will drive inflation and interest rates higher.

“Combine those factors with the strength of the New Zealand dollar, to which Labour’s only answer is ineffective intervention, and the picture begins to emerge of a Government that is squandering our opportunities.

“National is focussed on securing a high wage, low-tax economy, with growing productivity as the backbone of our policies.

“Labour, on the other hand, appears content to slice up the pie that we are already eating rather than bake a bigger pie. It is sending all the wrong messages to working New Zealanders,” says Mr Key.

ENDS

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