Labour is calling on the National Party to release its fiscal workings as the true magnitude of the errors in their economic plan blows out to at least $8 billion.

“National’s economic costings are in tatters. Each day new mistakes are revealed, leading to $8 billion in errors,” Labour Finance Spokesperson Grant Robertson said.

“National are chaotic and their numbers are a shambles. They can’t be trusted to run the economy when they can’t even get the basics right. Yesterday, instead of owning up to his latest mistake, Paul Goldsmith tried to rewrite history instead of rewriting his budget.

“It’s time for Judith Collins to tell Paul Goldsmith to rip up the plan and start again.

“It looks like National have given NZIER the wrong numbers. National needs to release the workings they provided to NZIER so New Zealanders can assess the true magnitude of their mistakes and see if there are any more.

It just doesn’t add up or meet the basic test of competence.

“National blocked the Government’s offer for Opposition parties to be able to use the Treasury to undertake independent costings their policies, and now it’s clear why. They hoped their mistakes and lack of basic accounting knowledge wouldn’t get picked up.

“Judith Collins’ economic plan also fails to account for the basic funding required every year to maintain services like health and education by covering population changes and inflation.

“Those essential services will be put at risk under National’s plan when New Zealanders need them more than ever – during a global pandemic and economic recovery. Including their election promises, the money they’ve set aside for pressures across the whole budget next year is smaller than the amount of new investment in health alone last year.

“Judith Collins and Paul Goldsmith will take New Zealand back to situations when there was mould in the walls of our hospitals, children were learning in school halls and libraries, and Police numbers were falling. National is a risky alternative that will cut the services New Zealanders rely on.”

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