Trans Tasman on what matters to voters:
The vital factor for NZers as they come to vote are issues which impact on their lives: the trajectory of the economy, jobs, living standards, inflation, house prices, education and health services. Voters’ assessments on the credibility, competency and leadership of the parties weigh equally heavily. And a primary concern is stability of the Govt to be elected under the MMP system. . .
Anyone who understands the issues, the policies, the parties has a clear choice.
A stable, National-led government will continue with the policies which are working in these important areas; a weak unstable Labour-led government propped up by the Green, New Zealand First and Internet Mana parties won’t.
There are major differences in policies too, not the least of which is tax:
Where Labour is talking of raising taxes, National is dropping broad hints it wants to lower taxes by revising tax thresholds to provide some relief for those on low and middle incomes. . .
The PREFU supported the government’s claims that the books will be back in surplus.
There is no justification for increasing tax rates. If conditions allow, there could be a case for some reductions, if only to counter bracket creep.
The only justification for adding a new tax would be by taking away an existing one.
Labour and its left-wing cling-ons want to increase tax rates and introduce new ones as extras not replacements.
High tax and high spending under the last Labour-led government put New Zealand into recession long before the rest of the world. That they haven’t learned from that mistake shows they can’t be trusted with the public purse again.
In stark contrast National has spent the last six years working for New Zealand with policies that are working for New Zealanders and this week announced more of its plan for the next three years:
