Commenting on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’s announcement of a $1 billion cut to the Government’s operating allowance, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager James Ross said:

“Cutting the operating allowance is a good start — but with the books this bad, a slow march won’t cut it. Taxpayers need a full sprint.”

“New Zealand is now running the worst primary deficit of any advanced economy, and government debt has exploded from $59 billion in 2017 to a projected $192 billion this year. Every dollar of new spending needs to be matched by savings — not a cent more.”

“If the Government can’t set the operating allowance at zero this year, it must lock it in for Budget 2026. Anything less is just kicking the can toward a cliff.”

“Taxpayers deserve a government that lives within its means, not politicians who keep maxing out the country’s credit card and handing them the bill.”

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