Chester Borrows knows criminals when he sees them – they are poor, on a benefit, more often than not brown and have barely enough to live on.
The Associate Social Development Minister is a former cop and he is putting his experience on the beat to good use in parliament on behalf of the wealthy.
Here he is reported yesterday in his courageous, indefatigable pursuit of poor, usually brown beneficiaries:
Radio New Zealand 2 December 2013:
The Government has stopped 5300 people receiving benefits, saying they were costing about $56 million a year.
The crackdown is the result of a joint operation between Inland Revenue and the Ministry of Social Development.
Associate Social Development Minister Chester Borrows said they were found to be in work and earning income other than a benefit.
Information-sharing, which compares Ministry of Social Development records with Inland Revenue data to identify working age beneficiaries who have not accurately reported their income to Work & Income, started in March this year.
Mr Borrows said the Government is looking into how the money will be recovered.
In addition to the 5300 cancellations, another 2995 beneficiaries have had their benefit altered to reflect the income they are receiving.
Mr Borrows says a trial is also underway in which officials visit people who are on the Solo Parent Support benefit – formerly the DPB – to ensure their situation has not changed and that they are still entitled to the support they are getting.
So while Borrows sets up Stazi-like investigation squads to check if the toilet seat is up or down and what clothes are on the line to dry at the homes of solo beneficiaries he and his parliamentary friends are oblivious to the much bigger criminal threat to New Zealand from super-rich tax dodgers who cost us billions every year.
Unlike the criminals Borrows targets New Zealand’s biggest bludgers are rich, usually white and have more money than they know what to do with.
More than half the top income earners in New Zealand don’t even pay the top tax rate – these multi-millionaires register incomes of less than $70,000. These parasites joke and laugh over their cocktails about how little tax they pay, how easy it is to cheat the system what a bunch of losers the rest of us are for paying what we owe.
Even Borrows’ beneficiaries pay more GST than National’s super-rich friends. The poorest 10% of income earners pay 14% of their miserly benefit on GST while the richest 10% pay less than 5% of their income on GST.
I understand people who shoplift to put food on the table for their kids or don’t declare the miserly income they get from a low-wage part-time job to supplement their unliveable benefit.
So I couldn’t care less about so-called beneficiary fraud until the government puts some real energy into nailing the 1% for their truly despicable, bludging behaviour.
The old saying that jail is where the big criminals put all the little criminals is so true for Chester Borrows and National.
Find some real courage Borrows and start working on the big funders of the National Party.
When you’re the Minister of Wanganui Collegiate you have a very clear view of the important issues.
On the bright side. his effort in that ministerial role may well see the continuation of the production of people who think like him and give him hope his “good works” will be perpetuated.
So how does the ministry of social development decide if a solo parent has a flatmate or a partner living in the house?
Indeed, Mpledger…
And it raises the interesting contradiction;
Household A has a solo-mum and a flatmate. They’re not considered in a relationship; the flatmate contributes to the rent, power, etc. Solo mum is still eligible for state support.
Household B has a solo-mum and her boy/girlfriend partner. S/he contributes to rent, power, etc. Solo mum is no longer eligible for state support.
Household C has a solo-mum and her boy/girlfriend partner. S/he does not contribute to rent, power, etc, and is living off her. Regardless, solo mum is no longer eligible for state support.
Spot the anomalies.
Question: does this government even care a jot or is it’s #1 priority to push recipients of state support of WINZ books, so they they will look good in time for the next election?
I think we know that answer to that one.
How they should decide it is by applying s29A of the Interpretation Act:
The difficulties relate to determining what is a “relationship in the nature of marriage or civil union”. Case law suggests that there has to be both the financial interdependence and the emotional commitment for the foreseeable future that would normally be present in a marriage or civil union.
Simply having a sexual relationship with a flatmate or friend on a regular basis doesn’t cross the bar, although Work and Income often seem to think it does and wrongly cut benefits of single parents.
Hear Hear John.
If our legislative and justice systems were more honest and fair and locked up the 1%ers, committing fraud by lowering their incomes to avoid paying the tax they owe society, jails would be full to overflowing!
Far more of a criminal element in the dodgy, greedy 1%er National benefactors than a collective of beneficiaries!
Borrows, Bennett and their rabid ilk need to turn their sights on the real crooks in society! Namely, their own!
The problem is that our legislative and justice systems ARE the 1%, and operate on their behalf and in their interests. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle that weeds out idealism, honesty and empathy at the first available opportunity.
There should be no benefit abatement whatsoever until the combination of benefit and casual income reliably passes the gross adult minimum wage by more than $500. Otherwise it’s all running hard to stand still no matter what you do. Punished for working. Silly.
And – isn’t it time we stopped the ‘marriage’ malarkey? If a person has worked, paid income tax, pays GST and many of the other nasty little taxes, why are they suddenly deemed to be dependent on someone else if they become unemployed or unwell? They weren’t before those events. Why after? How convenient for the stingy mindset folk.
Is it different if siblings of assorted sexes share accommodation and the costs? Or parents and adult kids?
If the snoops find grandparents or siblings caring for children – will they be recommending increased assistance?
Will local and central government be toiling just as hard to increase employment in the little towns they’ve caused to die – such as Putaruru – so people don’t have to do hours’ long round trips just to satisfy the whims of WINZ? You know – equal effort.
By the way, this bit is wrong;
“Information-sharing, which compares Ministry of Social Development records with Inland Revenue data to identify working age beneficiaries who have not accurately reported their income to Work & Income, started in March this year.”
MSD and IRD (and other government departments) have matched records for several years now. It’s not a new thing at all.
The evidence is here: http://fmacskasy.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/benefit-fraud-is-chester-borrows-being-totally-upfront-with-us/
Check out the letters from WINZ dated 7 July 2009 and 21 December 2001.
As usual, National ministers bend the truth when it suits their purpose.
Here’s a novel idea . How about we just say ‘ fuck off ‘ to chester ? And then watch as off he fucks .
I don’t yet know why we NZ / Aotearoan humans take orders from the likes of him ? He’s frightening harmless , innocent people . How awful ? How dare he do that ?
If he came to my door and demanded to see if my undies were at the foot of the bed of my female human , front bottom special cuddles , full contact sex biped whom I shared a house/dwelling with I’d kick him in the balls I assume he has . If he tried to push his way inside , I’d bash the fucker over the head with the first thing I laid my hands on .
Why should we be afraid of this dreadful , shriveled head , wheezing poisonous gasses ? I mean really ?
We MUST take a stand sooner or later . We must Unite against the chesters and the paulas .
What an evil little bastard ?
Here’s what happened to me . I lost my business and my rented home to the earthquakes . ( I came south to live in my house , a house I bought for my mum and dad after they were foreclosed on by the BNZ and they lost their farm 23 yeas ago .)
I had no income but plenty of debt so I had to go on a benefit . I then learned two things .
First thing . A benefit is not enough to survive on . Even with my very low overheads , I couldn’t live on the benefit by itself .
Second thing . Having to go into a WINZ office is dehumanizing , insulting , humiliating and above all else , boring . What a horrible , boring , soulless , bleak shit hole of a place the WINZ offices are . What positive , happy , hopeful , inspiring experience could come from such a wasteland of mumbling , keyboard tapping minions ? The security guard sat across trying to look menacing sporting the archetypal tough guy ‘ Prison Pussy ‘ mustache , beard-ette combo .
He was bored as bat shit and I truly felt like goading him into a fight just to give him a better work story instead of this perhaps usual one ;
” Yeah nah . Saw a few people crying , some looked depressed , one ‘usual’ was missing . Suicide I reckon . Oh , and there was these kids aye . They ate the brochures advertising food preparation courses because they had pictures of food on them . Yeah , nah . Not good mate . ‘
During that first year after the quake my dog died . She was my best pal and I had to have her killed by a vet and she was frightened of vets . Then my girl left me for Australia . Then my father in law died . Then a close friend died . Then my aunt died . She was kind of a second mum . She left another old aunt and me a half share each in her tiny little house in Invercargill and about 32 K in cash . Public Trust ‘ administered ‘ $ 19,800 of my old single aunts money after placing her estate in probate for six months all the while lying , misleading and charging ‘ in attendance fees’ for every single phone call , email and letter . Then I thought I’d better tell WINZ of my sad but welcome windfall and they responded by slashing my benefit from about $220.00 a week to $132.00 . They argued that I had more than the $ 8800.00 investment allowed so I was fucked . During the probate period I actually went hungry . I know every recipe there is for mince . I now know that there are many ways to spark up oatmeal . If it were not for my dear friends I have no real idea of what I’d have done . And I was a lucky one . Some WINZ people have kids . Some have no idea and have kids . Some have no hope , no idea , no partner , no resources , an addiction and kids but know they’re hated and you are right John Minto . It’s not their fault . It’s not your fault .
Fuck chester burrows and if you see him , tell him . Say ‘ Fuck you chester burrows ! ‘ Say it loudly and with passion . Show some spirit . Show no fear .
If I see him I’ll look for his testicles and if I find them I’ll let you know where they are .
The gap between the rich and the poor is as a result of the game the rich are very good at playing . That’s why they are rich . They enjoy the game and are very good at it . They’d just get bored without the poor to shit on otherwise . Perhaps it’s time for the ball to be in our court ?
Finally , there will never be an ideal State within which we humans can exist . Even in the best if times there will always be flux . There will always be conflict . So , lets take them some fucking conflict . Thanks chester burrows , you dumb shit . Look what you’re doing ?
Good on you John Minto .
He should apply his Police training to finding the real crims in society: the adage being “Follow the money” I believe, if you’re after the real big hitters unbalancing the ledger.
Oh …. well, seems it goes right to the 1%. How odd.
I have found it instructive how people respond to the whole issue of “fraud” and the terminology employed(!) by our ever-zealous state, and the party that states, on its own website, about how they are the party of accountability, responsibility and the like.
I have found it very interersting the use of such terms as “crackdown” when they preach from their bully pulpits about the supposed heinousness of these fraudsters.
Oh the sheer horror of it all!
And yet, one simply contrasts this with the limp wristed answers by the likes of the SFO when they are asked “Why can you not prosecute or obtain repayments” from the likes of Hotchkins et al, those who have slipped the country leaving countless lives busted and multimillion dollar crashes in their wake…
One contrasts this with the mealy mouthed defence of tax avoidance vs. tax evasion, hiding behind the answer “It may not be ethical … but its legal”. But given Peter DunnCe is the man in charge of that, it is no wonder, no wonder at all. Why is it that banks which have defrauded us of millions in taxes due to the government, they can strike a cosy deal and get away with paying a mere token portion. Why is the tax department, which is charged with collecting these and that makes much of the fact that not paying taxes critically undermines the ability of the government to use said taxes to underwrite health, education and a host of other services, even having to go after and practically beg for that money back in the first place?!?
One contrasts it with a Finance Minister who can actually get away with being so seemingly at ease with the NZ Super Fund being invested in dodgy Tax Havens? His reply to this, “We’re comfortable with that!”, is the answer of the 1%ers writ large.
These people simply DO NOT CARE about it.
Transparency?
The only transparency we have is the fact that should the government fail in its responsibility and accountability to us as taxpayers, we can see clearly that it will just be a matter of days before a beneficiary bashing policy rolled out for easy consumption and a quick diversion …
At a ratio of “fraud” being 5:1 in favour of “rich” tax fraud vs “poor” fraud, the contrast in the measures to clamp down in both cases couldn’t be more stark.
This is about a legislated protectorate of the privileged, and what’s in a name? The Minister “Borrows” too much from the worst off in our society to simply prop up this state of affairs, perpetuate a stereotype and feed the wolves some more meat … and the feeding goes into a frenzy far too often for my liking.
And sitting atop of it all is the really ugly face of it all – a former beneficiary, who seems to have such terrible internal issues going on surely if she can mete out such measures and dismiss the consequences of her policies with such a cheery face, a careless laugh and the worst impersonation of being “at one” with the people whose lives she is determined to break…
Rorting the stats, which is pretty much lying really, and following the example of failed policies from overseas and implementing those failures with even more misguided zeal here … this needs to change and the sooner the better.
I was actually waiting for such an announcement, after last week hearing about the stuff up with a Ministry of Justice court computer system that finally had to be axed. It had been in the making for years, over 12 million had already been spent on it, but last week TV3 or other media reported, it would be ditched. It turned out to be useless and would not deliver the services and savings that had been anticipated. It had apparently caused a fair few problems.
When confronted with questions, dear old “Chester” (who seems to have been responsible for that program) looked highly embarrassed, and one could see, he did not feel comfortable in his skin and at that place, in front of running cameras.
So naturally, he soon enough delivered a major diversion tactic, by announcing the sole mother “Stasi” surveillance. But it is not meant to be menacing and infringing, it is meant to “assist” the dear old sole parents, he kind of said.
This man is a real sicko. What must have gone wrong for him as ex cop to choose another career to become a second rate MP and politician??? Was there something that happened, that he needs to hide? Did dear old “Chester” get into some trouble, or did he get frustrated, not achieving much as a copper?
Now he has “power”, he seems to think, and he can instill real fear and shivers into sole parent’s spines, because some may now not sleep well at night, because they fear to let their boyfriend or girlfriend stay over night. There may be the outsourced “spies” turning up at the doorstep during a modern day “dawn raid”.
Oh, dear, oh dear, Chester, get a life!
This man needs to get rid off, I’d say. I better not say what I would like to do to the man, it may not be appropriate.
But another 12 months, perhaps even less, may need to be endured by those effected.
Inform yourselves of your rights, and stand your grounds, I say. There are also laws protecting us from harassment, intimidation, duress and what else may be applied. And do not forget the Privacy Act and the NZ Bill of Rights Act!
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