The Taxpayers’ Union is calling BS on claims that inappropriate spending of parliamentary funds by MP Harete Hipango was the result of a “coding error”.

Union spokesperson Jordan Williams says, “A number of our staff used to work at Parliament and would code expenses for MPs. To put it politely, they say it is ‘implausible’ for Ms Hipango not to know exactly what she was doing.”

"It simply doesn’t ring true that a taxpayer funded television and sofa, which ended up in the home of an MP, were wrongly coded.”

“All transactions and the way in which they are coded need to be approved and signed off by the MP themselves. There is no accidental way to code a parliamentary expense to your own personal living room.”

“Taxpayers deserve to know how their money is being spent which is why MPs offices should be subject to the same transparency obligations as every other Ministers’ office. We are today writing to the Speaker, calling on him to release all information in relation to Harete Hipango’s spending and whether she fronted up, or only paid the money back after being told to.”

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