Budget 26 Winners, Losers and Predictions

The Government has taken $780million out of the pockets of the poorest Kiwi so right wing vanity projects can occur instead!

This is the Abandonment Budget – It’s the Right shrugging and saying, ‘let the free market decide’

Let’s be honest, Dame Lynda Topp telling the Budget to fuck off was the best thing that came out of this.

There are of course political Winners and Losers.

WINNERS:

Banks – They can’t believe their luck. They made between $7-$8billion in profit last year and all they will be hit with is $70million a year? That’s chump change and they know it! Why the Christ shouldn’t we be serious about windfall taxes on the Banks? They will be laughing all the way to themselves after this joke tax.

Primary School musicians – A one-off fund of $5.6 million to buy musical instruments for primary schools. That’s sweet. Probably Paul Goldsmith’s doing.

Rock Quest – Dear old Rock Quest, the $50 000 will help it keep rocking. Probably Chris Bishop’s making.

Māori Media – The blunt force cut to Māori media this year was always going to face a serious challenge and push back. Probably Winston’s making.

ACT’s Libertarian Chainsaw – They have slashed and slashed and slashed the State with an ideological fervour bordering on book burning. They can’t believe how much voters are allowing them to mutilate.

Winston – It’s his budget more than Luxon’s. No cuts to KiwiRail or MFAT, indeed they get over a billion combined in funding. He also gets to flirt with Gold Card Holders which the Boomers love.

Vacant Optimism – The level of disbelief you must suspend to believe the growth numbers that this house of cards rests upon are beyond rational thought. There’s no fucking way Unemployment will peak at 5.5, there’s no fucking way inflation will peak at 4%, and there’s no fucking way growth will be as high as has been predicted. This entire economic platform is built upon hope and snot.

Dame Lynda Topp – Telling this Government that its budget was bullshit and attacking the under funding of the Arts was the best thing to come out of the budget.

The 30% GDP Debt Ratio Neoliberal Straitjacket – We are going to cause all this pain so that Nicola Willis can box tick a 30% GDP Debt ratio in 2029 despite borrowing $341 billion because she point blank refuses to tax the rich.

LOSERS:

Environment – The irony of shutting down the Ministry for the Environment while championing roads getting destroyed by climate change as the 7 Biggest Polluters get whatever policy they want.

Health – Ok. It costs $1.4billion to stand still and we NEED $2billion a year to do what the Public Health service needs to do. What has the Government offered? $1.3billion – THAT’S LESS THAN IT COSTS!!!!

Education – They are trumpeting $500m per year on Education, but $100million of that is to implement Erica Stanford’s controversial curriculum. Blowing 20% of your budget  on an ideological ram raid isn’t the flex National thinks it is.

Beneficiaries – They lose $200million from the emergency allowance while AI decides their benefit. It’s never been a worse time to be poor in NZ.

State Tenants – About to pay $380million in extra rents to generate more desperation to empower National’s landlord mates.

Students – Losing $200million in student free fees so propertied boomers can have more is a kick in the balls.

Public Servants – PSA warning 9000 jobs will be gone as the Government moves to AI because nothing is more glorious than being told by a Robot to rate your misery from 1 to 5.

Public Service – PSA warning $2.4billion will be cut from public services so that the Right can underhand public services so much that voters scream for privatisation as the solution.

Children in Poverty – They get nothing.

PREDICTIONS:

There are no green shoots of recovery, just a bleeding stump.

Pretending AI can replace…

• School support workers
• Biosecurity officers
• Health workers
• Food safety inspectors
• Special education advisers
• Social workers who investigate concerns about children’s safety
• People who help young people into work or education
• DOC Rangers
• Probation officers
• Court and tribunal staff
• Animal welfare inspectors
• Corrections case managers
• Early intervention teachers
• Caregiver social workers
• Public health officers
• Border control staff

…seems like a reach. What we will see AI do is attack the poorest amongst us the way it’s already doing to beneficiaries…

$55m less in benefit payments as Govt automates welfare decisions under urgency

It comes as new figures in the Budget reveal the Government expects to pay out $55 million less in benefits over the next four years as a result of the automation drive.

Newsroom

 

…cutting 9000 jobs stripping $2.4billion from public services WHILE STILL borrowing more for tax cuts for the wealthy and corporate welfare would be funny if it weren’t so terribly sad.

The Right use culture war garbage to gloss over the plutocracy they are building for the oligarchy.

They refuse to acknowledge the real poverty their policies are creating by only helping those in work while robbing $780million from the poor!

Your petty bigotries are manipulated by the Right  and as the enormity of what has been cut in the budget starts to backlash, Kiwis are going to be asked this election who they stand with.

The Big Polluters, the Property Pimps, the Banks, the Billionaire Class and Corporate interests or the People.

Do you support Government for the few or the many?

This election more than any other will tell us who Kiwis really are.