Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Phil Twyford changes his tune over KiwiFail. Again.

Hon. Judith Colins
National Party Spokesperson for Housing and Urban Development

23 May 2018

Phil Twyford changes his tune over KiwiFail. Again.

Housing Minister Phil Twyford confirmed three days ago that no income limits will be applied to prospective KiwiBuild buyers but today, under questioning, he said he had not yet decided about that, National’s Housing spokesperson Judith Collins says.

“Phil has campaigned on - and insisted – that he will build affordable KiwiBuild homes for first home buyers, but without income limits there is no way that he can ensure that these houses go to those who really need them.

“This could mean a New Zealand born couple who have spent their working lives offshore and have a $300,000 deposit could be eligible for a KiwiBuild house even though they have never worked or paid taxes in New Zealand – most Kiwis would agree that’s not fair.

“The taxes of hard working carpenters, plumbers and electricians who have lived and worked in New Zealand should not be used to subsidise those that are wealthy enough to buy a home.

“His shifting-sand decisions hit another problem today when he could not answer whether KiwiBuild home owners will be allowed to rent out rooms in their KiwiBuild house. He also had no clue as to how development contribution costs would impact the KiwiBuild home buyer.

“Auckland Council is considering adding $50,000 to the development cost of each new housing section. This cost would be dumped on developers and on Kiwi families and Phil has no plan to deal with this either.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“MBIE officials have said that an income of around $114,000 would be needed to buy a KiwiBuild home. Now that the costs will be rising by $50,000 per section, we can expect that Phil Twyford’s own estimate of $60,000 income needed is grossly inaccurate.

“He then went on to mention today that potential buyers might need an income of $170,000 with no explanation. Confusion reigns.

“After nine years in opposition and Kiwi taxpayers stumping up $2 billion for Labour’s flagship scheme, Phil Twyford should have these details,” Ms Collins says.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.