Lighten the load before cutting tax

Very interesting reading Jordan Williams’ opinion on Monday. If we had another GFC along with more natural catastrophes we could soon hit double the government debt we have now. This debt will cost us $2 billion to $3b now in interest so why not reduce this cost when times are good? If Michael Cullen had not concentrated on reducing debt up to 2008, how much worse off would we be today?

That other OECD countries have a lot of debt is no reason for us to do the same. I believe repaying debt must come before major tax reductions. Our tax rates are already lower than many other countries, many of which do not have the advantages this country does in healthcare and welfare.

Lloyd Anderson, Te Awamutu.