November 09, 2021
Family tax help needed urgently
Green Party co leader Marama Davidson says families need the increase to the family tax credit now.
At the weekend’s Labour Party Conference, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the credit will rise on April 1 by $15 a week for the eldest child and $13 a week for subsequent children.
That’s on top of a scheduled inflation increase.
Ms Davidson says on current rates low income families are missing out on basics like bread, milk, fruit, veges and meat.
“Unfortunately, while we welcome every single dollar of extra support it’s still not enough and it’s not kicking in until April so that does seem a bit of a slap in the face for the realities of what people are having to face at the moment,” she says.
The package, which also includes boosts to the Best Start payment and Orphans Benefit, Unsupported Child’s Benefit and Foster Care allowance, will cost $272 million over four years.