Wed Sep 29 1999

The Alliance policy to raise the minimum wage and give beneficiaries $20 a week will create 80,000 jobs not destroy them, contrary to what Act claims.

'Roger Douglas should know about destroying jobs. When he was finance minister he destroyed two hundred thousand of them,' Alliance Leader Jim Anderton said.

'Increasing the minimum wage will not cost jobs. There is no reputable research that shows increasing minimum wages cost jobs. When the minimum wage rose from $6.50 to $7 an hour jobs were not lost as a result.

'Alliance policies will create 80,000 jobs.

'The Alliance Economic Development fund will invest in new job-rich, high technology industries.

'Our free education policy is the best investment in the knowledge economy money can buy.

'Act on the other hand wants to cut $500 million from industry assistance and $150 million from primary industries over the next two years. This will cost thousands of jobs.

'Act claims people will leave New Zealand and go to Australia because of Alliance tax policies. Australia's top tax rate is 47 cents in the dollar and will cut in at a threshold of $50,000, rising to $60,000 when GST is introduced on July 1st, 2000 much less than what the Alliance is suggesting.

'Act is the looney tax party in this election. They want to give the top 10% of income earners a huge tax cut but have nothing for the majority of New Zealanders,' Jim Anderton said.

Visit http://www.alliance.org.nz for more information about the Alliance

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