April 28, 2023
No frills budget alarms household shopper
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has thrown five years of political work on the bonfire.
In a pre-Budget speech yesterday, Mr Hipkins flagged a no-frills Budget balancing fiscal restraint with funding the basics including cost of living support and cyclone recovery.
Mr Peters, who is cranking up his election year return to the political arena with a series of speeches around the country, says Mr Hipkins seems keen to distance himself from the policies of his predecessor, but he’s ignoring a looming balance of payments crisis.
“Imports are costing far more than our exports are earning for us andf this is just a crisis for us and we are spending a billion dollars more a week than we should be spending so all these things are coming down to wherher or not New Zealanders believe simple economics for their home also works for the country. In short, if mum and dad are spending more than is coming into the household the family will go broke and that’s exactly what is happening to our country so when you say ‘no frills’ what have you got already? You have got so much money out there which is bringing so little in,” Mr Peters says.