Labour’s mini-budget delivers fiscal restraint 14
DECEMBER 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Grant
Robertson’s pre-Christmas spend-up appears to tie his hand
in years to come, and offers a welcome dose of fiscal
restraint,” says the Taxpayers’ Union Executive
Director, Jordan Williams, reacting to today’s Half Year
Economic and Fiscal Update.
“Today’s HYEFU was a
mini-budget – it changes the direction of the
Government’s spending priorities in the short term, and
returns the tax system to a more complex tax and credit
churn system.”
“But on the other side of the
coin, Labour deserve real credit. There is no enormous tax
grab forecast and Mr Robertson is signalling that he will
run a very tight ship. Uncommitted operational spending is
only $6.6 billion, or $660 million per year, out to 2022.
That is only about half what National budgeted over recent
years, and will need to also cover those coalition agreement
policies not already costed and factored into the
books.”
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