Responding to the Finance Minister’s
decision
to reallocate $926 million from the
COVID-19 response fund, New Zealand
Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis
Houlbrooke says:
“Grant Robertson is
acting like he’s got a spending target. Someone needs to
tell him he doesn’t actually have to spend every last cent
from his COVID-19 response fund.”
“The
Government’s decision to borrow more than $100 billion has
monumental consequences for future generations of taxpayers.
That borrowing was justified purely on the basis of dealing
with COVID-19. If we no longer need the money for our
COVID-19 response, then it should simply not be
spent.”
“We’re currently looking at a forecast
of around $100,000 in government debt for every household in
the country. The Finance Minister should be using whatever
fiscal wriggle room he can find to reduce that
burden.”
If you're using Scoop for work, your organisation needs to pay a small license fee with Scoop Pro. We think that's fair, because your organisation is benefiting from using our news resources. In return, we'll also give your team access to pro news tools and keep Scoop free for personal use, because public access to news is important!
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn. Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik... More
Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More
Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More
Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More
Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More