Hon Jim Anderton

MP for Wigram
Progressive Party Leader

07 May 2008 Media statement

Where does National stand on Super cuts?

National is at the mercy of a secret slash and burn agenda because its leadership is too weak to rule out unacceptable policies such as today’s CIS claim NZ Super will be slashed, Progressive Party leader Jim Anderton says.

“NZ Superannuation will not be slashed by any government that doesn’t have National in it. But National has been curiously equivocal about protecting NZ Super.

“National has not distanced itself from its mates’ claims that Super will be slashed. I can’t think of a single reason National would choose silence on the issue. If it doesn’t agree with the CIS, it could just say so.

“Instead, John Key chooses his words very carefully. For example when he says ‘we won’t cut Super’ these are weasel words that deliberately leave open the possibility National would introduce a means test for NZ Superannuation, or change the way Superannuation is indexed as National did when it was last in office. The words National won’t use are ‘we would leave NZ Super as it is.’

“There is something fishy about National’s Super policy.

“Previously National has refused to say where it stands on the Business Roundtable’s call for a flat tax rate. So we know National has a secret agenda on tax. It can’t even state as a general principle whether an average family on an average income deserves the same size tax cuts as someone on the top tax rate.

“If National can’t rule out nonsense policies in Opposition, it will raise expectations among its funders and supporters. And if it is too weak to stand up to them now, how much weaker would National’s leadership be if National were in government when the pressures are far greater and there is more at stake?”

ENDS

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