A new Taxpayers' Union – Curia poll found that New Zealanders preferred Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis (46% of respondents) to Chris Hipkins and Grant Robertson (37%) as the most trusted team to deal with the cost of living crisis. 17% of respondents were unsure.

This month’s regular Taxpayers’ Union – Curia poll showed that the cost of living was the most important issue to voters ahead of the election on 36% followed by the economy more generally on 14%.

Taxpayers’ Union Head of Campaigns, Callum Purves, said:

“People across New Zealand are doing it tough as a result of the cost of living crisis and this poll suggests that they want to see a new team take responsibility for tackling it.

“Rampant inflation – fuelled, in part, by the Government’s wasteful spending – has meant Kiwis’ dollars can buy less and less at the supermarket while the Government continues to take a higher share of their wages in tax as a result of bracket creep.

“Canny New Zealanders clearly aren’t swayed by Labour’s lollies such as GST off fresh fruit and vegetables and free dental care, but National needs to go further on its current pledges to cut back wasteful spending and commit to ongoing annual tax bracket indexation or the cost of living crisis won’t be over for a long time to come.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

This poll should be formally referred to as a ‘Taxpayers’ Union – Curia Poll’. The full polling report with breakdowns by demographics is available here.

This scientific poll was conducted between Thursday 31 August to Wednesday 6 September 2023. The median response was collected on Monday 4 September 2023.

The sample population was eligible New Zealand voters who are countable on a landline or mobile phone or online panel. 1,000 respondents agreed to participate – 800 via phone and 200 via online panel. This was a random selection of 15,000 nationwide phone numbers and a random selection from the online panel.

The results are weighted to reflect the overall voting adult population in terms of gender, age, and area. Based on this sample of 1,000 respondents, the maximum sampling error (for a result of 50%) is +/- 3.1%, at the 95% confidence level.

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is an independent and membership-driven activist group, dedicated to being the voice for Kiwi taxpayers in the corridors of power. Its mission, lower taxes, less waste, more accountability, is supported by 200,000 subscribed members and supporters.

The Taxpayers' Union operates a 24-hour media line for comment on taxpayer issues. Representatives are available on (04) 282 0302.

High-resolution images and logos are available on request or online at http://www.taxpayers.org.nz/resources

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