National leader Judith Collins
As Aucklanders enjoy their first post-lockdown weekend I encourage everyone to go out and support a local business, many of which have been crippled by two lockdowns.
The economic cost of the Covid-19 pandemic will be huge, and will have devastating consequences for many.
We are heading towards the deepest recession in living memory. Treasury predicts 100,000 more Kiwis will lose their jobs with 15 years of deficits and low growth on the horizon. It is an economic crisis the likes of which we have never seen before.
That means we need a Government with proven economic competence and credibility, a Government with a plan for the post-Covid recovery and the skill to implement that plan.
National’s policies will provide muchneeded economic stimulus in the short term while helping grow the economy in the long term.
A National Government led by me will provide 16 months of tax relief. We will put more than $3000 back into the pockets of the average earner and stimulate the economy at the same time. National knows it is businesses, with that great Kiwi number 8 wire spirit, that create jobs and grow our economy. Our job in government is to deliver the economic conditions that will enable businesses to succeed – policies that help economic growth rather than hinder it.
We will roll out New Zealand’s largestever infrastructure package because inter-generational debt should be used on inter-generational assets. We will build a more innovative economy by doubling the size of New Zealand’s technology sector, creating new and lucrative jobs for young people.
As well as growing our economy, we will be responsible economic managers and pay back government debt sooner. I make no apology for that. I consider it a generational obligation.
It is possible to pay down debt, reduce taxes and grow the economy. National did exactly that after the Global Financial Crisis.
Our political opponents will hinder economic growth. They seek to impose costs on small businesses when they can least afford it. Extra public holidays, more sick leave, increases in the minimum wage – it’s a huge burden.
That burden will fall hardest on those who provide the jobs and, ultimately, workers themselves if their employers can’t keep them on. None of our opponents’ policies improve the job prospects of those looking for work.
This week they admitted a wealth tax* was still on the agenda. They say the wealth tax will hit only 6 per cent of Kiwis, but that is 300,000 people.
In reality, people grow wealth while they work to pay off a mortgage and, all going well, save some extra for retirement. They have paid tax all their lives and now their retirement nest egg is under threat. This election will determine what sort of country – what sort of economy – our young people and the generations that follow will inherit. Under my Government, you will keep more of your own money, you will have a stronger economy and your children will grow up in a country with better prospects and less debt.