Wage subsidies paid out hits $9.9b – Robertson

Paul McBeth
Fri, 17 Apr 2020

Businesses have been paid $9.9 billion to help cover the cost of 1.6 million workers, which Finance Minister Grant Robertson says has helped limit the increase in new welfare claims.The government rolled out the wage subsidy package on March 17, paying firms a lump sum for 12 weeks, which Robertson said got money into people’s bank accounts faster than similar schemes overseas. That has helped limit the increase in job seeker benefits claims to 23,000, he said. Robertson was standing in for the Prime Minister at the daily press briefing, a...

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