David Cunliffe Comments on National's Fiscal Policy

In a press conference today on Wellington’s waterfront, Labour Party leader David Cunliffe shut down Nationals’ fiscal policy saying it was a “hypothetical tax cut.”

Cunliffe said that tax cuts promised by National were “a joke,” and that John Key has said himself that he may use a debt reduction instead.

Labour has already committed to clearing Nationals’ record debt in their budget, says Cunliffe, and National are desperate to deflect from the tragic mess of Dirty Politics.

Nationals’ fiscal policy shows wages rising less than 1% after inflation, or $5 per year says Cunliffe, also noting that 43% of New Zealanders did not get a pay rise at all in 2013.

The Labour Party has the “Most detailed alternative budget an opposition governmnet has ever produced” said Cunliffe, while “The Prime Minister cant even tell us what tax rates or thresholds he would change.”

Cunliffe also said that Labour would consider tax cuts to lower and middle income earners but does not want to base his election campaign on something that may or may not happen.

Labour intends to Guarantee “health, education and other services by putting aside $1 billion to make sure the base line is solid.”

This means the proposed implementation of a range of new policies that will help New Zealanders said Cunliffe.
These policies include: NZ power Policy: which will save roughly $300 per year off the average power bill, while the Best Start Scheme will help lower income families with $60 per week, per child.

Cunliffe also made it clear that a vote for the Maori Party is a vote for National, saying that he wont have the Maori party in government, and at this stage is only considering working with the Greens and NZ First for a coalition.

ENDS

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