“New Zealand taxpayers should be deeply worried about the Prime Minister’s first performance in Parliament today”, says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“If Hipkins is going to lead a ‘bread and butter’ Government focused on the basics – let alone make significant decisions about how to pay for the cyclone recovery – he first needs to learn how much the government takes in tax.

“Asked in Question Time today, Hipkins either didn’t know, or gave incorrect answers to, basic questions about the amount of tax government brings in.

“When asked whether he knew how much tax his Government was taking out of the pockets of New Zealanders, he had no idea.

“Core Crown tax revenue is one of the headline figures in the Government’s financial statements. Helen Clark would have been able to recite it in her sleep.

“In response to another question, the Prime Minister made the claim that tax revenue as a proportion of GDP was lower than under the last Government. That’s wrong.

“In 2017, Core Crown tax revenue as a percentage of GDP was 27.7%. In the 2022 HYEFU, it was forecast to be 29.9% in 2023.

“Taxes to this June are forecast to be $118 billion, up $32 billion from when Labour was first elected and took in $86 billion.

“It’s no wonder Hipkins is so relaxed about taking more from taxpayers when he is confused about what it’s taking already.

“It’s troubling that someone who has been a member of Jacinda Ardern’s kitchen cabinet and a senior Minister involved in all the Government’s significant decisions doesn’t know how much tax New Zealanders pay.

“ACT is the only party with a fully-costed alternative budget. That budget explains how we can reduce wasteful spending without touching frontline services and deliver tax relief for hardworking Kiwis.

“This country is grappling with so many significant challenges – a cost of living crisis, out of control crime, a truancy crisis, and a health system under immense stress.

“New Zealanders need not just an economically literate Government, but a Government that offers a vision of real change. Right now, only ACT is offering that.”

© Scoop Media