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August 14, 2023
GST cuts will miss mark says Health Coalition
Claudette Hauiti
Posted On August 14, 2023
Download AudioHealth Coalition Aotearoa welcomes the Labour Party’s promise to remove GST from fruit and vegetables – but doubts it’ll reach the most needy whānau.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins announced the policy yesterday along with a boost to the Working for Families in-work tax credit which he says will benefit about 160,000 families
Health Coalition Aotearoa co-chair Dr Lisa Te Morenga says fruit and vegetables prices are so high, removing GST will make a very small difference to low income whānau.
“Some of our families have so little to spend on food at the end of the week that fruit and vegetables just don’t figure in their shopping baskets so if you take the GST off them you’re not going to see a savings because they weren’t there in the first place,” she says.
“Fresh fruits and vegetables are also high risk products that require cool storage and with power poverty affecting whānau that’s an issue too.”
Dr Te Morenga says Labour would be better advised to extend the Ka Ora Ka Ako food in schools programme, which also targets healthy eating.
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