“ACT has consistently fought for all of the concerns business leaders will raise with Chris Hipkins today and yet Labour is only just waking up to the challenges facing this country,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Business leaders this morning told media they are concerned about staffing shortages, immigration settings, crime, inflation, the costs facing farmers, farmer confidence and red tape.

“ACT has released an immigration policy paper, two crime policy papers and a fully costed alternative budget that reduces government spending to reduce inflation.

“Since Labour has been in Government it has become tougher to hire employees, more expensive to keep them, and materials have exploded in price.

“Australia’s median wage is 42 per cent higher than New Zealand’s. When Labour came to office, it was only 33 per cent. Labour’s mismanagement is why we cannot have nice things.

“ACT says it’s time Kiwi businesses got some relief. We will:

• Reverse the Government’s workplace relations changes, we would swap the additional Matariki public holiday for one of the other existing statutory holidays
• Repeal “Fair Pay” Agreements
• Reverse new sick leave entitlements
• Reinstate 90-day trials for all businesses
• Pause minimum wage increases for three years
• Abolish remaining tariffs
• Replace the RMA with our fit-for purpose environmental and urban development laws
• Require councils to accept any ‘equivalent material' certified by MBIE for use in building projects
• Exempt OECD members from the Overseas Investment Act, allowing foreign supermarket chains to invest in New Zealand with certainty
• Implement a Carbon Tax Refund returning revenues from the ETS to New Zealanders
• Simplify immigration laws making it easier for migrants to move between employers
• Return the Reserve Bank's mandate to taming inflation alone.

“ACT has employers’ backs. We know they need tax and regulation relief and will fight on their behalf for more sensible, sustainable economic policies so they can grow their businesses and employ more New Zealanders. We’ve been listening. Labour now needs to not only listen but reverse the policies that have made it harder to be an employer.”

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