NZ govt austerity holding back growth, keeps lid on rates, RBNZ says

NZ govt austerity holding back growth, keeps lid on rates, RBNZ says
By Paul McBeth Sept. 13 (BusinessDesk) - The New Zealand government's drive for fiscal austerity will hold back growth and keep interest rates lower for longer, the Reserve Bank says. The central bank cited the government's clamp down on spending in a bid to get back to an operating surplus by 2015 as a constraint on economic growth and a reason behind New Zealand's historically low interest rate environment. The bank says the government's efforts to build its revenue base through spending cuts and raising indirect taxes will slice four perc...