Less than 24 hours after revealing its coffers are overflowing with Kiwis hard-earned money, the Government has decided it’s not enough and it wants to slap Kiwis with another tax, National’s Economic Development spokesperson Todd McClay says.

“Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare has declared that he wants a sugar tax because like most issues the Government faces, its solution is another tax or a working group.

“Despite a $7.5 billion dollar surplus the Government still wants more money from your back pocket. The problem with a sugar tax is that it hurts low income New Zealanders the most and the evidence shows sugar taxes are ineffective at reducing obesity.

“This Government’s poor policy making decisions have seen median rents go up by $50 a week, the Government has legislated for an extra $1.7 billion in fuel taxes and now it wants to hike up your grocery bill.

“Health Minister David Clark has always wanted a sugar tax. He needs to tell New Zealanders if they will be whacked with another tax or whether his Associate Minister has gone rouge.

“National wants New Zealanders to keep more of what they earn. We won’t introduce any new taxes in our first term in Government. Instead we will prioritise spending on health, education and infrastructure and we will eliminate wasteful spending that doesn’t contribute to better outcomes for New Zealanders and their families.”

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