A new Taxpayers’ Union – Curia poll has revealed that 53% of New Zealanders believe that the Government should continue to deliver the tax relief that was promised by the National Party during the election campaign. 29% of respondents thought that the tax relief should not proceed while 18% were unsure.

There is majority or plurality of support for this proposal across all gender, age and area demographics. Supporters of the governing parties are strongly in favour of continuing with tax relief while Green voters are the most strongly opposed.

Voters were asked: “The National Party's tax policy at the election promised to shift tax bracket thresholds to partially compensate for the effect of inflation. This would reduce the tax on full time workers from between $24 and $51 a fortnight depending on income. Proponents of the tax cuts say they will provide relief to families, while opponents say they are unaffordable. Do you think the Government should deliver the tax cuts that were in National's election policy?” 

Commenting on the poll results, Taxpayers’ Union Head of Campaigns, Callum Purves, said:

“Contrary to the prevailing narrative among the political commentariat, this poll demonstrates that Kiwis are strongly of the view that Nicola Willis should hold firm on the tax relief commitments National made during the election.

“Government spending has increased by 84 per cent since 2017 yet the quality of services continues to decline across the public sector. It’s the worst of both worlds: New Zealanders are paying more and getting less.

“Not only have Kiwis not had a tax break for 14 years but the failure to adjust income tax brackets for inflation has forced them to pay more and more of their wages in tax each year. The Government must deliver on its tax relief promises while going further and faster to cut back the bureaucratic bloat in Wellington.”

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