Progressive Campaigning Organisation Calls Governments Latest Budget ‘A Budget For Billionaires'
ActionStation Aotearoa says the Coalition Government budget is taking from the incomes of low-income people and families with new babies, and upwardly distributing this to those with the most.
This is on top of already significant cuts to the public services we all rely on, and the recent decisions to cut the pay of some of our lowest paid workers - which we now know is a cut of 12 billion over four years.
'The National Party are using the idea of achieving surplus, and minimising government spending as a justification for their harsh cuts, and a transfer of public funds into private hands,' says Kassie Hartendorp, Director of ActionStation.
'Once again, this Coalition Government has shown exactly who they are, and what they stand for - lining the pockets of the already wealthy while taking from our communities and from future generations.
The Government has made a decision to bring in more means testing to access income support for those already struggling, and at the same time giving tax breaks to multinational corporations through allowing them to deduct 20% of the cost of new assets or used assets they import from overseas.
Adding means testing to 18 and 19 year olds accessing Jobseeker Support is chipping away at our welfare system, and fully means testing Best Start for families with new babies means families earning $97,000 a year are no longer eligible for the payments.
'Our teachers, healthcare workers, caregivers, friends and neighbours are being crushed by the economic choices of this government. Many in our families and communities are struggling to pay our rent, power bills, food and transport costs, while the banks, property investors, supermarket corporations and energy companies continue to make massive profits,' says Hartendorp.
'All this while planning to throw more of our people into prisons and partnering with corporations who will profit from them.'
'Instead, we should be using our collective pool of wealth to lift incomes of those with the least and supporting our communities to thrive in the long term."
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