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Taxpayers Pay to Relocate Hawke's Bay Farm to Saudi Arabia
Taxpayers Pay to Relocate Hawke's Bay Farm to Saudi Arabia
7 MAY 2015
The Taxpayers’ Union is demanding answers from the Government after One News revealed tonight that taxpayers flew 900 sheep on Singapore Airlines to Saudi Arabia and forked out $6 million to kit out a privately owned farm to "compensate" a Saudi businessman. Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, says:
“Why on earth is the Government forking out for a business to leave New Zealand? The objective of a FTA is no excuse for a taxpayer handout to an individual businessman. If the businessman has a good case for compensation from our government, that process should be managed by lawyers, not politicians. A full explanation of the dispute should be made public.”
“This money was paid to move an AgResearch partnership business from Hawke’s Bay to Saudi Arabia. It has the appearance of Chineese-syle diplomacy, boarding on corruption. Taxpayers deserve meaningful answers, not spin.”
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