Does anyone care how much election promises really cost?

National's finance spokesperson, Nicola Willis. (Image: NZME)

Mon, 04 Sep 2023

It’s a simple question – how much does that election promise cost?And yet so much campaign time gets sucked into arguing the toss over whether the numbers can be trusted when it’s supposed to be a contest of ideas.A month ago, the Council of Trade Unions (CTU) got the ball rolling by alleging they found a $5 billion fiscal hole in the National party’s plans, a claim that was quickly dismissed by the opposition as Labour-friendly propaganda.Show us the money!But when National released its tax plan on Wednesday, there...

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