The Finance Minister should be using unexpected revenue windfalls to pay down government debt, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.

Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “If someone heavily in debt wins the lotto, any decent financial advisor would tell them to use the money to pay down debt. But Grant Robertson seems intent on frittering away his winnings.”

“The Government’s debt projection may be slightly better than it was, but it’s still very bad. In a few short years Government debt is set to reach around $100,000 for every New Zealand household. The Finance Minister’s priority should be reining in this debt monster as quickly as possible for the sake of taxpayers.”

“If Grant Robertson is intent on announcing new spending in this year’s budget, he should fund that spending through cutbacks in other areas. Last week’s revelation of a taxpayer-funded turtle funeral is a sign that there’s plenty of wasteful government spending to be found, if the Finance Minister cares to look.”
 

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