The too little too late budget?
This is a budget that is trying to be everything to everyone and failing most of them.
Labour have spent on worthy features…
KEY POINTS:
* An emergency $1 billion cost-of-living package, giving a one-off payment of $350 to 2.1 million people. The package also extends the 25c a litre fuel tax cut and half-price public transport for another two months
* An $8 billion increase in health spending , including $71m for Pharmac to buy more cancer drugs and more money for ambulances and rebuilding run-down hospitals
* Schools get $777m in capital investment for new classrooms and the decile system will be scrapped
* Premium: Audrey Young’s analysis – Grant Robertson’s Goldilocks Budget not too little, not too much
* $200m towards the first stages of the light rail project in Auckland, feasibility studies for a new port in Manukau Harbour and for a dry dock at Northland’s Northport
* Inflation forecast to peak around 6.9 per cent in the middle of this year – but dropping to below 3 per cent by 2026
…the problem is that these are simply band aids on haemorrhaging open wounds and it doesn’t feel like it appreciates the problems looming on the horizon.
Their inflation forecast seems remarkably optimistic.
John Minto’s analysis of the lack of traction on State Housing is damning.
It all feels a little bit too little too late.
Those who will benefit directly will gratefully take the extra but the ongoing cost of living crisis has already swallowed this largesse.
This has all the vision of a blind cyclops.
I fear Labour have lost the confidence to be bold. This merely keeps our head above water.
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After the nuclear clock strikes midnight the morning will come. God willing we will see that dawn of an evolved human experience. Star Trek – here we come.
It goes a little something like this
It ain’t nothing but left wing kiwi style
You like it cause you choose it.
To the beat y’all. Don’t stop
Yes yes Yall, don’t stop
Everybody move your body
You can hit the polling booths now you ain’t got to wait so while you’re waiting contribute to The Daily Blog.
We got your left wing project it’s only going to be a mater of time before fortress Aotearoa is yours so let’s get it even if you’re not related mainly because your savings account ain’t teaching you no manners or grammars to go with your sickle and hammers.
Yes yes Yall, don’t stop.
To the beat y’all.
Don’t stop.
We can take it outside Petrol is $3.50 you ain’t got to wait let’s get it fortress Aotearoa is a mater of time you ain’t got to hate it.
You’ll be standing on your couch yelling yes yes Yall this my left wing project!
We on.
Do you think that PM Ardern is gonna be baking you scones for that mighty effort ? Chris Bishop could be swiping his hungry father’s sausage rolls for you though. Another couple of stanzas and Christopher the Bald might assemble you one of his el cheapo kit set barbecues. Keep going and Seymour the dancing boy might produce a Pavlova guaranteed to block your guts but don’t stop, we need our bards and their truths.
Even Jacinda is running around dirty. If she’s smiling y’know she’s running hard.
She’s still loved she’s still iconic.
Jacinda is switching it up I can see it.
She’s doing handstands and spitting on it, pushing off on it and running from it.
Luxon feels like Putin right now. Too laud. To much clowning. Since John Key left Nationals talent pool became shallow.
When the tide rises those shallow boats smash against the rocks.
National are so talentless they’re entertaining the Idea of making seemore finance minister.
We have to come along way in a short amount of time we’re not doing this for fame.
Workons
1. Health creates and investment fund to buy drugs that assist people back to work or keep them from getting sick so they can no longer work – I am thinking of the premier diabetes treatment (type 2). Wherever this saves the health system money in future cost – such as dialysis (and keeps people in work, win win for the government and economy). Something similar to ACC funding private hospital ops to get people back to work.
Apparently the Pharmac boost has concentrated on cancer drugs – white middle class voters.
2. Create debt accounts for those with children who are on benefits (akin to Tertiary loans and their repayment terms) – that are only repaid when the person is in work. When a sole parent loses a job, or a working partner (separation), the government refinances their debt (apart from mortgage) and places this debt into that account (asset on government books) – this should reduce child poverty.
3. The government starts a significant buy up of up existing housing on the market to increase income related rent housing stock (debt growth = asset growth). Especially homes for those with disability/aging frailty. It’s wasting too much money on poor quality motels and then offloading the cost as debt to the poor on its current course. 3M 60,000 – 5M 100,000 such houses.
4. Funding dental care for those with CSC holders is preventative – pulling their teeth out is not.
5. The government should help keep sole parents in their homes (reduces child poverty, ensures stable home environment for child education and health) – so upon loss of a partner, the government buys out the non resident parents share of the equity and pays half the mortgage. The sole parents mortgage cost would be less than rent in a rental (and thus no AS support would be required). The extra debt = additional asset on the governments books. NOTE – the potential for CG to the government.
I’m impressed with the budgets for health and education and also that the decile system in education will be scrapped, as it has been a blight on the education sector since the 1990’s and has adversely affected tens of thousands of students from low income families, particularly in big cities such as Auckland.
I reckon that to say that this budget is a band-aid on a gaping wound is rude and disrespectful to the authors of it, Grant Robertson and his team of advisors. I can see that an astounding amount of effort was put into this year’s budget, along with a considerable amount of Goodwill towards all of the New Zealand people.