7 March 2018

Adams to take fight to the Government

New National Party Finance Spokesperson Amy Adams has signalled a strong focus on ensuring the continued success of the New Zealand economy and says she will fight hard against Government policies that will slow New Zealand down.

"New Zealand currently has one of the strongest economies in the western world. That's not an accident. That’s a result of the hard work of New Zealanders backed by the strong economic plan of the previous National-led Government,” Ms Adams says.

"New Zealand succeeds best when we are open and connected with the world. I'm looking forward to getting out and meeting with and listening to successful exporters and employers in the weeks ahead.

"National will be advancing new economic and social policies ahead of the next election, but first we have to stop the threat posed by Labour’s economic mismanagement.

"Many of the Labour-led Government's planned policy changes will sacrifice our economic success and make it harder for New Zealand businesses to compete and succeed.

"These changes are bad for all of us. Slower business growth means less investment, fewer job opportunities, and lower wages generally than would otherwise be the case.

"Already businesses are less confident now than they were six months ago, despite the world economy steadily strengthening over this time.

Ms Adams singled out Labour's overseas investment changes, employment law changes, and proposed new taxes as things that would ankle-tap the country's medium-term economic performance.

"In Select Committee National MPs are constantly hearing how the Overseas Investment Bill will chill foreign investment. That's bad for housing construction, bad for the regions, and bad for our economy overall.

"And now the Government’s Tax Working Group is clearly looking to design a more redistributive tax system that removes any incentives for New Zealanders to work hard and get ahead.

“The Government needs to focus on the quality and quantity of their new spending. They are continuously ramping up expectations. I’ll be keeping a close eye on their approach to spending taxpayers’ money.

"This Government needs to heed the lessons of success and stop trying to introduce policies that will only take us backwards and damage the economic security of all New Zealanders.”

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