The jaw dropping care from MSD to not annoy middle class white people defrauding the wage subsidy is in stark contrast with the gleeful malice they take to Beneficiary ‘fraud’.
For Beneficiary ‘fraud’, MSD uses mass surveillance powers with staff trawling beneficiary social media to catch them out in a ‘relationship’. They prosecute with spite, even when it’s an overpayment mistake by MSD!
They hound people into suicide, they lock the poorest into debt slavery, they are purposely obtuse and impossible to navigate because neoliberal welfare is designed to be so intimidating and vengeful that approaching them in the first place is supposed to induce fear.
But that all changed with Covid and the deserving poor. The application form for the benefit is over 70 pages long. The application form for the wage subsidy was one page long.
The wage subsidy saved this economy.
Which makes abuse of it disgusting.
Large companies have been shamed into paying it back, but the underwhelming ‘audit’ by MSD suggests abuse of the $14billion was rife.
So how the hell can MSD justify crucifying those on welfare and turn such a blind eye to middle class abuse?
For the record, my suspicion is there was some outright corruption attempting to turn a quick buck mixed with an enormous amount of doubt. Some didn’t end up needing it as per the guidelines, but it sure as hell helped hold everything together.
So let’s not look for more strife! Sure some didn’t end up needing it, if they can pay it back, fine, if they can’t, it should be forgiven.
I’m not arguing for MSD to go romper stomper on small business and sole traders to demand money back, I’m demanding that MSD treat actual beneficiaries with the same dignity, respect and forgiveness they are lavishing on middle class wage subsidy fraudsters.
That would be actual kindness.
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Yes well this needs to change and the justice system and our police need a bomb up their backsides.
A 70 page benefit application form is intimidation just in itself.
Chances are those 70 pages are simply the result of ineptitude on the part of WINZ’S semi- literate so-called “wordsmiths”, and it may be time for Human Resources to step in here – except that unfortunately HR can also be a variable sort of resource too – ditto policy analysts.
Faced with a 70 page form, there’s probably also a higher chance of error from stressed applicants. They need to get that sorted pronto.
Yes 70 pages is disgusting. Also hard for those on benefits who have difficulty with literacy. I think it is 2 pages for the wage subsidy.
The Employment Relations Authority, Mediation Service and Employment Court are loaded to the gunwales with many thousands of overflow cases related to COVID. These range from unfair treatment, bullying and dismissals, “harvesting” workers leave, to breaking various terms of Collective Employment Agreements.
For example, union reps and legal staff are still pursuing Carter Holt Harvey who trousered almost 7 mill in wage subsidies while they were forcing staff to use their own holidays instead of passing on the subsidy.
The big guys and some of the blatant cases (chancers starting up bogus businesses just to claim the subsidy), should be chased down. As for beneficiaries–not COVID $490pw ones–there should be a debt clearance of most outstanding debt if it relates to food, rent or health care. Clear the slate and don’t impose any more debt due to low benefit rates.
I’m not sure those receiving these wage subsidies were majority white middle class led.
https://services.workandincome.govt.nz/eps/search
But agree there is too much trust for business in NZ and not enough trust in ordinary folks trying to do their best who may or may not be beneficiaries.
Student loan only paid back when in work, WINZ grant money clawed back out of the next benefit payment.
Amnesty for MIQ folks and government can’t get around to even charging those who have thousands to fly around the world. Meanwhile tertiary students who were eviscerated with student loans in the 1990’s with 10% interest compounding daily never got any amnesty. Those students who were screwed over, don’t even get mentioned anymore.
Most of todays students would trade places for the cheaper rents and affordable prices of homes.
I spent ten years paying off a student loan when that money could have gone into a house deposit
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