May 15, 2014
Paper thin surplus will fund election bribes
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says the surplus expected in this afternoon’s budget will be paper thin and bearing little relationship to the health of the country.
Finance Minister Bill English has indicated there will be a small surplus with more to come over the next few years.
He’s flagged $1 billion in new spending, most of which will go on health, welfare and education.
Mr Peters says any new spending will be about winning votes from targeted groups in society, but Maori will be among the groups likely to be overlooked.
" Unemployment is serious in this country. Maori and Pacific Island employment is at a disatrous level. Its almost one in four young Maori out of work. Those sorts of issues they havent addressed and in the end they will be judged for that. This is a serious battle for a political power on priorities. What do you prioritise as a government, and they have prioritised in many ways looking after their friends as opposed to looking after their country and I hope they are going to get caught out for it " says Mr Peters
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH WINSTON PETERS CLICK ON THE LINK
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