In last month’s Budget, the Government claimed it could not find the $70-80 million needed to deliver on National’s election promise to fund new cancer medicines. At the same time, over $100 million every year – more than enough to fund the medicines – is being doled out in corporate welfare for the film and gaming industries.

The Taxpayers’ Union has today launched a petition calling for these subsidies to be scrapped and the money to be redirected to funding Pharmac.

Commenting on this, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said:

“When the Government would rather line the pockets of Hollywood fat cats than deliver life-saving medicines for New Zealand’s most vulnerable, clearly they need to get their priorities straight.

“Treasury’s own numbers suggest these subsidies cost New Zealand more than they generate. Redirecting this money to fund things like the 13 life-saving cancer treatments avaliable across the ditch but not in New Zealand would save lives and still be up to $30-million-a-year cheaper.

“Billionaires like Peter Jackson can do without taxpayer-funded corporate handouts, but sick Kiwis can’t go without medicine.”

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