Press Release
Stephen Berry

National Should Not Discriminate Over Minimum Wage

“It is wrong for the Government to practise age discrimination against workers over the minimum wage,” says Tamaki Independent candidate, Stephen Berry. “The minimum wage for youth should be the same as the minimum wage for adults: zero.”

“I’m glad the National party has finally recognised that a wage level artificially set higher than what the market is willing to pay will mean a decreased demand for workers. More likely they simply think they are popular enough to get away with making a piecemeal concession to reason. Either way, they do not have the balls to be completely honest with the electorate and advocate a real solution to reducing unemployment by eliminating the minimum wage across the board. I have more balls than the National party.”

Berry believes National’s policy is mere tokenism and will have little effect on the youth unemployment rate. “National has resorted to simple grandstanding to convince business they are serious about tackling unrealistic wage costs. Their new policy actually introduces a slew of exceptions and regulations about who will be paid a 20% lower minimum wage and who will not.”

The Tamaki candidate uses the example of a youth wage being paid to those aged 18 and 19 who are coming off a benefit. “This exception will simply make coming off a benefit even less attractive to young people as the financial reward for leaving a government handout is reduced while the benefit remains. A real solution would be to abolish all minimum wage rates, set an income tax free threshold of $15,000 a year and eventually eliminate the unemployment benefit altogether.”

“My multi-pronged approach means there will be a huge increase in opportunities for the jobless and a real incentive for those currently out of work to get a job. As usual the answer is to remove Government from the equation completely, rather than the usual tinkering at the edges we usually see from parliamentary parties of all hues.”

Tamaki voters have just one option to support real change this election. That is by voting for Independent candidate, Stephen Berry.

Ends

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