Reacting to today’s Budget Speech from Labour’s Finance spokesperson, Barbara Edmonds, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said:

“It is encouraging to see that one of Labour’s stated priorities is to focus on creating ‘a level playing field for small and medium businesses, not preferential treatment for those businesses with the flashest lobbyists’, but this must be matched by action.

“Under the previous Labour Government, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars were awarded in corporate welfare to the gaming and film sectors, strongly represented by ‘flashy lobbyists’, along with handouts to other large companies like Fonterra, NZ Steel and Z energy. Unfortunately the new Government has decided to continue a large chunk of this.

“Soundbites are all well and good but unless Labour u-turn on the special and distortionary treatment they championed in government they mean nothing. We will happily assist any Labour MP in drafting a Member’s bill to bring an end to corporate welfare.”

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