PM wary over Greens’ plan

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has labelled the Green Party’s proposed tax policy as having heroic assumptions that she would question.

On Sunday, the Green Party unveiled a sweeping new welfare policy that would guarantee a weekly income of at least $325, paid for by a wealth tax on millionaires and two new income tax brackets on high-earners.

Ardern was asked about the policy in interviews yesterday but would not be drawn on supporting it in a coalition government.

She insisted Labour’s policy would ‘‘look very different’’.

The Opposition said the Green Party policy meant higher taxes would be inevitable if LabourGreens won the election.

However, Ardern rubbished that claim.

‘‘What the National Party has said is ridiculous.

‘‘We have our own policies, we are our own party,’’ she told TVNZ.

‘‘No-one had been saying the National Party will bring in a flat tax rate because they tend to work with the ACT Party. We will put out our own policies. This is ultimately one for the Greens, not us,’’ she said.

Asked if there was any chance of getting it over the line in a coalition, she told TVNZ: ‘‘I’m not

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

‘‘This is ultimately one for the Greens, not us.’’

here to defend other parties’ policies, nor am I here to co-opt other parties’ policies.

‘‘We do have some common ground in the area of wanting to increase incomes and reduce poverty, but we have some very different ideas on how that would be done’’.

Ardern was also asked on Newstalk ZB if the universal wage proposal had any chance of seeing the light of day in government.

‘‘We share a view on needing to deal with income and adequacy. I have seen the first cuts of the policy,’’ she said.

‘‘It is much easier to calculate, with some level of certainty, money going out the door. It is much more difficult to make assumptions around tax revenue with changes like this. There are some assumptions in there that I think I would question.’’

Ardern told The AM Show she was ‘‘absolutely not’’ going to coopt another party’s policy and the public would see some significant differences with Labour’s policy.

When it was put to her that her responses suggested the policy had no life left, she said: ‘‘You asked me for a position, we do have shared ambition’’.