BUDGET 2017: Election year budget spends down future surpluses for families and infrastructure

Thu, 25 May 2017

By Pattrick Smellie May 25 (BusinessDesk) - Tax cuts for every working New Zealander, targeted to low and middle income earners, more generous assistance for families and renters, and a massive spend-up on public services infrastructure mark Finance Minister Steven Joyce’s election year Budget. The package of changes to income tax thresholds, the Working for Families programme, and the Accommodation Supplement is the Budget’s political centrepiece and will cost $2 billion a year. But it does not kick in until April 1 next year as the e...

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