Welfare pays for sleep-in slacker's fines

The National Party's appalled by an outrageous abuse of the welfare system by an Upper Hutt 21 year old who owes $91,000 in fines but can't be bothered getting out of bed to work.

"Reports today say it will take him more than 58 years to pay off his fines at a rate of $30 a week.

"The problem is he's not the one paying the fines - we, the taxpayer are picking up the tab," says National Party Welfare spokeswoman Katherine Rich.

"The 21 year old's father has been quoted as saying his son could get full time work to pay off the fines but 'he is pretty unreliable, I have to get him out of bed'.

"Is this what the welfare system has come to?

"This case shows welfare is no longer a safety net, instead it's an easy out for a serial fine non-payer," says Mrs Rich.

"The National Party believes this 21 year old has the capacity to work as hard as the rest of us to make a living.

"Labour's softly softly approach is encouraging welfare dependency when we've been experiencing the best economic conditions in a generation.

"There's no way hard working taxpayers should be funding young New Zealanders who are able to work, but can't be bothered getting out of bed in the morning.

"That's why National is discussing community work programmes and time limits on benefits, so that more young Kiwis can establish good work habits and enjoy the personal rewards of a fulfilling job," Mrs Rich says

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