The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is warning National Leader Chris Luxon that a u-turn on Super would be an abrogation of the Party’s responsibility to young taxpayers.

“Luxon must not buy into the myth that fiscal prudence is at odds with ‘caring’,” says Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke. “Young taxpayers are set to fork out ever more in taxes to pay for Super in the medium term, despite knowing they are unlikely to receive Super at age 65 themselves. Luxon needs to demonstrate that he cares about these taxpayers.”

“Bill English gave savers 20 years to prepare when he announced the plan to increase the Super age in 2037. That was hardly stingy.”

“We all know the Super age will increase at some point, and it’s vital that savers are given certainty to prepare for this. Chopping and changing Super policy will only serve to erode New Zealanders’ preparedness for retirement.”

“If National does u-turn on the Super age, we expect to see alternative measures to rein in costs. That could include indexing Super payments to inflation instead of wages, or some form of means testing – but the latter would need to be handled very carefully to avoid discouraging Kiwis from saving.”

“Beyond Super, the other area of spending set to hammer future taxpayers is healthcare – as with Super, Luxon should heed the advice of the OECD and look to private health insurance as a way of shielding young taxpayers from rising costs.”

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