The lack of economic rigour in
John Key’s new signature policy announced this afternoon
in Wellington is ‘scary’ according to the
Taxpayers’ Union. Reacting to the Government’s
announcement, the lobby group’s Executive Director, Jordan
Williams, says:
“While every New Zealander would support
the good intention to eliminate pests, this has all the
hallmarks of a policy driven by spin doctors rather than
policy wonks. It’s flag referendum 2.0.”
“Like the
Government’s ‘aspirational’ “smokefree New
Zealand”, it puts a politically attractive goal ahead of
all the costs and ignores tradeoffs.”
“Maybe a
predator free New Zealand would be an economic panacea but
why hasn’t the Government asked economic advisors to look
at that? Instead we have all the hallmarks of a ‘legacy
project’ similar to that made in May of 1990 when former
Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer promised ‘full
employment by
1995’.
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