15 May 2015

UnitedFuture Welcomes Family Focus in Budget

UnitedFuture Leader Peter Dunne said the 2014 Budget marked a welcome return to a strong focus on supporting New Zealand families.

“The government, of which UnitedFuture has played a central role since 2008, is to be congratulated for its responsible stewardship of the New Zealand economy through the most turbulent and challenging times since the Great Depression. As one of the very few western economies not only to emerge from this period of crisis and deliver a surplus and ongoing surpluses in subsequent years, is a significant achievement,” says Mr Dunne.

“This has enabled new spending of around $1 billion and it is particularly gratifying that this is been directed at providing meaningful support to families in the form of increased parental tax credits, significant additional funding to early childhood education centres and support for vulnerable children.

“The extension of free GP visits for children from under six years of age to under 13 years, is especially welcome. This will provide significance financial relief to parents with young families and will give those children the best start to life.

“While UnitedFuture would have liked to have seen paid parental leave move to be 12 months, the extension in the Budget to 18 weeks by 2016, is a step in the right direction”, says Mr Dunne.

UnitedFuture however will continue to push for the introduction of its Flexisuper scheme, which gives those nearing the end of their time in the paid workforce choice on when and at what level of payment they elect to take their National Superannuation. We are also committed to a more streamlined personal and company tax threshold system of 10-20-30% tax brackets and this would be further refined with our policy of income sharing, again with the sole objectives of fairness and choice.

“Today’s Budget is a watershed moment on the current governing arrangements in New Zealand. Despite the intense pressures imposed by the global financial crisis, we are in an enviable position, as the recent contrast with Budget events across the Tasman shows. Voters should look very long and hard about putting at risk the positive direction in which the country is now heading in the upcoming General Election”, says Mr Dunne

ENDS

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