MSD are using pandemic to make money from the poor – why you should hate neoliberal welfare
I have written many posts highly critical of the culture of MSD.
Their malice, their spite, their abuse of power over the most vulnerable.
This latest story manages to sum up all that is wrong with MSD, they are lending money to the poorest people to buy essentials.
How corrupt is that as a social policy…
Beneficiaries owe record $2.1b to Govt as cost of living soars
Low income New Zealanders now owe more than $2 billion to the Ministry of Social Development as they continue to have to borrow money to survive.
…this is the neoliberal welfare industry for you.
The madness is that MSD sees this debt as an asset!
They have a vested interest in loading more debt up on beneficiaries! We have loaded up billions in debt to the poorest amongst us creating debt slaves.
The state are acting like a drug dealer peddling desperation and entrapping people into literal debt coffins.
This is all fine according to Labour.
Wipe the debt now.
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I would like those that are quick to condemn National for past sins (quite rightly in some cases ) to say what they think of this article.
Without trying to under estimate the enormous struggle to survive on a benefit we must be aware that penalties are normally imposed only when false declarations have been made to receive benefits, or MSD have not been informed of changed circumstances. Also emergency food grants do not have to be repayed but have an annual limit.
Labour 5 years have been twice as brutal to the poor as Nationals 9 years. Both are scum, Labour’s scummier.
Wipe the fucking Government!
As I said before. New Zealand already has asset, wealth, capital gains and inheritance taxes. They just apply to WINZ clients
Stupid is as stupid does.
Morans
According to this RNZ story, MSD does not charge interest on loans, so Bradbury appears to be wrong in saying ‘MSD are using pandemic to make money from the poor’.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/the-detail/story/2018840395/being-in-debt-to-the-government
The food grants need to be increased (no loans not for food only essential stuff like a fridge etc) to cope with the increasing costs of living. MSD ain’t the only evil ministry many of our government departments are toxic and they tend to play staff off.