Marie Hasler

National Immigration Spokesperson

11 August 2000

Anti-business policies scaring off overseas investment

"Why does Lianne Dalziel think her Government can attract overseas business investment when their 'anti-business' policies are already sending a stream of local businesses and entrepreneurs overseas?" National's Immigration Spokesperson Marie Hasler asked today.

Ms Hasler's comments come in response to the Immigration Minister's plans to "Improve the business investment opportunities for migrants to New Zealand."

"Tinkering yet again with the immigration criteria will not change the basic reasons New Zealand is becoming less attractive to overseas business investment.

"If the Minister is serious about attracting entrepreneurial business migrants and substantial overseas investment, her Government must acknowledge their economic programme of higher taxes, backward economic policies - such as the new ACC and ERB legislation, and the arbitrary increase in the power of unions in the workplace - all present a frightening image of a country lurching towards instability and a lower standard of living.

"At some stage Labour has to come to grips with the requirements of a modern economy and realise our current economic climate is the problem, and won't be solved by simply lowering the immigrant thresholds," Ms Hasler said.

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