The $355,000 payment to Wairoa’s “The Limery”
– a privately-owned orchard and juice company – is a
classic example of wasteful corporate welfare, says the
New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.
Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke
says, “It’s great to see The Limery’s success so far,
but their latest funding source is a sour note. Why
couldn’t this private company just get a loan from the
bank? And if banks weren’t willing to lend them money,
then why should taxpayers be comfortable taking a
punt?”
“It’s another case of politicians using
taxpayer money to lime the pockets of a favoured private
business. Other Kiwi companies competing in the same market
will be spitting pips to hear that this is where their
taxpayer money is going.”
“We’re calling on
the Government to stop juicing taxpayers, squash the
Provincial Growth Fund, and replace it with tax cuts that
benefit all New Zealand businesses equally, not just the
favoured
few.”
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