- By Christopher Luxon, Leader of the Opposition and MP for Botany
This election is about the economy, and which party has the plan to rebuild it so you can get ahead.
Only National has the plan to get that job done but for us to deliver our plan, we first need voters to change the government.
Since I became Leader of the National Party almost two years ago, I have been warning Labour that their reckless and wasteful spending was adding fuel to the inflationary fire and driving up prices for us.
But they have simply kept on spending – $1 billion a week now more than when National was in office.
Last week, I was proud to announce 100 economic actions that are common sense practical responses to help us deliver a strong economy, so Kiwis don’t have to keep moving overseas to find opportunities to get ahead.
A strong economy means lowering the cost of living with lower inflation, higher incomes, tax relief and lower mortgage costs.
It’s about growing New Zealand’s wealth so we can afford to invest in more of the public services that matter – like health, education and law and order.
National’s plan to rebuild the economy to get it working for all New Zealanders includes 100 actions across six key drivers of growth:
1. Stopping wasteful spending and getting the books back in order
2. Delivering tax relief to encourage hard work and to ease the cost-of-living crisis
3. Cutting red tape to make it easier to invest and grow
4. Building infrastructure for growth like roads, public transport and renewable energy
5. Growing skills and attracting talent to boost productivity
6. Strengthening connections to the world by supporting trade and investment
Labour’s approach to managing the economy involves spending more, taxing more and borrowing more, and New Zealanders are going backwards because of it.
The Labour Party is working on overdrive to try to convince everyone that our economy isn’t a mess, but when inflation is still high and interest rates are continuing to go up, Kiwis feel the reality.
They feel it when they are calculating their mortgage repayments, trying to make the gap between their wages and rising interest rates add up.
They feel it when they anxiously look at the dollars ticking up as their grocery items are scanned through the checkout.
They feel it when the petrol light pops up on the dashboard of their car and they wonder how long they can make what’s left in the tank last before having to fill up.
National will provide tax relief to working New Zealanders, with an average-income family with young children receiving $250 a fortnight under our plan or $100 a fortnight for a couple on the average income.
That’s meaningful relief that will help New Zealanders navigate the cost-of-living crisis Labour has created.
Advance voting starts next Monday and from then till election day on October 14, every single voter gets the only chance they have for the next three years to choose a better direction for New Zealand.
A party vote for National is a vote to change the Government, and it’s a vote for a stable National-led Government that will rebuild the economy so we all get ahead.
A party vote for National is a vote for our comprehensive and common-sense economic plan to rebuild the economy, get it working for all New Zealanders, and get New Zealand back on track.
View our 100-point plan here www.national.org.nz/rebuildingtheeconomy.
