Press Release

Hone Harawira
Tai Tokerau MP and Leader of MANA

16 August 2011

"Tax cuts for the rich and benefit cuts for the poor are the explosive ingredients for massive dislocation and disaffection in a society where the gap between rich and poor grows day by day" said Hone Harawira, MP for Tai Tokerau and leader of the MANA Movement "and any move to bridge that gap and reduce those inequalities is worthy of support."

"That's why MANA is proud to support this campaign to remove GST from food and to tax financial speculation in this country.

"GST is a tax that targets the poor because they don't have much money to spend, and nearly everything that they spend gets hit by GST. On the other hand, financial speculators deal in millions of dollars every day on the world's financial markets, and don't pay anything."

"The increase in the price of basic food stuffs is crippling families, and GST is pushing some families over the edge.

"New Zealand already has 200,000 children living in poverty, and yet, at a time when policies have enabled the top 150 people to make $7 billion, much of it through financial speculation, government refuses to take GST off food to help its own children to survive.

"I hope the election in November is fought on the rights of ordinary New Zealanders to get a fair deal. 200,000 children living in poverty is a deal no New Zealander should have to accept.

ENDS

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