Prime Minister should expect better from Chief Science Advisor

13 SEPTEMBER 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The dodgy advice tendered to the Prime Minister on sugar tax brings the Office of the Chief Science Advisor into disrepute, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.

Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams says, “It appears the Chief Science Officer ignored NZIER’s comprehensive literature review on sugar taxes, commissioned by the Ministry of Health, which found little evidence of a tax actually improving health outcomes. That is despite the Ministry of Health contributing to the report. What on Earth is going on?”

“Even calling this advice a ‘report’ is generous. It’s no more than a two-page series of bullet points without referencing. We should expect better from an office whose mandate is ‘evidence based policy’.”

“We’re currently working on our own report to be released in the coming weeks. The fact its draft is already of a much higher standard than advice being tendered to the Prime Minister is a sad reflection on officials.”

ENDS

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