Dairy Owners Concerned Over ‘crime Without Punishment’ Budget

The Dairy and Business Owners’ Group is concerned the government has given up on the crime emergency with no initiatives aside from extending a ‘pilot’ programme.

“Ahead of meeting the Minister of Police in July, we’re concerned she’s gone full King Canute over crime statistics,” says Sunny Kaushal, Chair of the Dairy and Business Owners Group Incorporated.

“We’re being bashed, robbed, burgled and worse but officially, she says, youth crime is down. That’s news to us, its news to the public and it will be news to the media.

“It will be news to the insurers who have hiked rates and excesses as a result of crime.

“So, what we got today, is a crime without punishment Budget. Nothing about taking tearaways into state care, nothing about taking the benefit of parents who don’t know or don’t care where their kids are and nothing about making parents legally responsible for their kids either.

“The dangerous message this sends to us, is that we’re on our own and in recent days we’ve seen retailers take matters into their own hands. Whether that’s taking stolen goods off kids the Minister says aren’t offending, or barricading a thief into a store.

“There was also worrying silence about the retail crime fund.

“And when it comes to what’s driving a lot of the crime emergency, cigarettes, there’s a massive disconnect between Grant Robertson and Dr Verrall.

“According to Mr Robertson’s Budget, in the year New Zealand is meant to be Smokefree, 2025, the Government will collect $1.7 billion off ‘low nicotine tobacco.’ That’s followed in 2026 by another $1.7 billion and then in 2027, yet another $1.67 billion. That’s a lot for when its meant to be gone!

“Maybe Treasury knows something the Ministry of Health doesn’t or someone hasn’t got the memo.

“So, we were hoping for more from Budget 2023, but we got a lot less,” Mr Kaushal said.

© Scoop Media