Wednesday 29th Sep 1999

A claim by the Alliance that the Party's policy to increase taxes, raise the minimum wage and pay $20 extra to every person on welfare each week would create 80,000 new jobs doesn't stand up to any scrutiny according to ACT Party President Sir Roger Douglas.

The former Minister of Finance today took Alliance Leader Jim Anderton to task over the claim saying that even with the kindest interpretation of the Alliance's tax policy it would cost at least 30,000 jobs.

"Jim Anderton just defies logic. He wants to clobber people who are working hard and trying to get ahead. He wants to take their hard-earned money and hand it out without out any thought for how it would actually improve the lives of others.

"The policies of Jim Anderton have been tried in countries like Iran, Brazil, India, Peru, Bangladesh, Rwanda, Argentina, Sierra Leone, Pakistan, Ghana, throughout the 1980's. The people of those countries have suffered under those policies because there have been no jobs and no growth.

"The positive policies that ACT is putting forward have seen the economy of countries like the USA, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Ireland, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand average 5% growth each year.

"In the last six years alone Government has increased its expenditure by a massive 32%. They have thrown more money at the problems but have done nothing to actually get on and fix them.

"The public are sick of the tired, dishonest and decrepit policies of Jim Anderton and the extremists in the Alliance. They are looking for the type of positive, visionary and positive policies that ACT is putting forward because they want a New Zealand that is going forward and growing the pie for everyone," said Sir Roger Douglas.

© Scoop Media

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