Shea Terrace, Takapuna
7.30am, 15 August, 2014
ACT Leader Dr Jamie Whyte

Same problems, same failed solutions

Extract from speech to North Shore Rotary

“At this election National is promising more of the same. The other parties are suggesting even more of the same. What we need is far less of the same” said Dr Jamie Whyte this morning.

“Brian Fallow of the Herald wrote a column yesterday pointing out similarities between this election and the 2005 election. Not only do we have an incumbent party trying to win a third term, but the economic situation is similar.“

Dr Whyte said “Fallow could have gone further. In 2005 Labour’s most valuable asset was the Prime Minister and in 2014 National’s most valuable asset is the Prime Minister John Key, who is even more popular.”

“To make his case about the economic similarities with 2005, Fallow points to a number of economic indicators, such as unemployment, wage rises and house prices."

“But Brian Fallow misses the important point. The economic situation is the same as 2005 in a more fundamental sense. After six years in power, National has made no serious changes to the structure of the economy they inherited from Labour in 2008. We have the same excessive level of government spending and taxation. The same over-populated central and local government bureaucracies. The same burdensome regulations. Even more corporate welfare” said Dr Whyte.

“At this election National is promising more of the same: tax, spend and regulate. The other parties are suggesting even more taxation, even more spending and even more regulation.”

“Only ACT is saying we need less taxation, spending and regulation.”

“ACT says we need a fresh new approach after nine years of Labour-lite spending followed by six years of National-lite spending” said Dr Whyte.

We need an economy that is dynamic, resilient to shocks and quick to adapt to changes in global demand. That requires the government to play a smaller role and reduce the burdens it places on enterprising New Zealanders. We need lighter regulation, lighter tax and an end to corporate welfare – or government cronyism, as it is less politely called.

ACT has put forward a positive practical solution: eliminate corporate welfare and slash the corporate tax rate from 28% to 12.5%. This one measure, which is self-financing, will do more to promote investment, growth, jobs and real wages than all the policies being put forward by the all the other parties put together.

ENDS

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