Budget cuts hurt the poor

Dr Ashraf Choudhary is Member of Parliament and Labour Party’s Associate Spokesman for Ethnic Affairs. The above article is exclusive to Indian Newslink ©

The National Government should focus on creating jobs and stimulating the economy, not pulling $800 million out of the budget at the expense of New Zealand families.

People have a right to stable employment, income, education and a future with savings not debt.

Slashing KiwiSaver, Working for Families and changing the student loan scheme is not the answer.

Families that have never before needed government assistance are turning to foodbanks as they struggle with the increasing cost of living.

They are doing so because the National Government has failed to deliver, not because what (Prime Minister) John Key calls ‘poor choices’.

Unemployment is high and the National Government is doing nothing about it.

There are now more than 350,000 New Zealanders receiving benefits, an increase of 10,631 from November to December last year.

Ethnic unemployment is up from 8% to 9.3% - to 21,300 people (an increase of 4100).

Labour has emphasised on many occasions that it would be wrong to cut financial assistance to families and students who rely on that support, especially when the cost of living is sky high.

That would simply slow the economy down. We must keep money in the pockets of people.

It is time this Government took decisive action to secure the livelihoods of our most vulnerable.

This government must stop passing the buck and take responsibility for the economy.