NZ government extends cuts to fuel excise, public transport ahead of new inflation numbers

NZ government extends cuts to fuel excise, public transport ahead of new inflation numbers
Petrol prices above $3 a litre are political poison, so the government is extending excise cuts (Image: Getty)
Pattrick Smellie
The government launched a pre-emptive strike ahead of the latest bad news on inflation, due Monday, announcing that half-price public transport fares and cuts to fuel excises and road user charges will be extended to Jan 31 next year.Finance minister Grant Robertson held a surprise press conference Sunday afternoon, saying the moves were expected to reduce the annual inflation rate by about half a percentage point.Annual inflation was running at 6.9% in the year to March 31 and is forecast by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to rise to 7% for th...

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