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National | Family

Whānau before tax cuts in Labour's Families Package

The Labour Party says its Families Package promises bigger income boosts to more than 70 percent of families with children than Budget 2017. By not spending $1.5billion annually on tax cuts, it expects to do more for lower and middle income families and invest in housing, health, education and infrastructure.

Labour says all families earning less than $62,000 will get a boost from their policy.

Leader Andrew Little says "a lot of the people missing out on the $1000 a year in tax cuts are people in the top 10 percent of income earners and with all due respect to them they don't need it."

Compared to National's package Labour promises to;

  • Increase the threshold of Working for Families by $7,500, from $35,000 to $42,700
  • Increase the Family Tax Credit base payments for every first child by more than $500 and match National's $4745 for subsequent children
  • Introduce a $60 per child Best Start payment for under threes
  • Bring back the independent Earners' Tax Credit.

Labour’s spokesperson for Finance Grant Robertson says "that leaves us around about $2billion over four years to put in to those priority public services; health, housing and education."

Many whānau told Te Kāea they did not understand the Working for Families package before it was first introduced, so is Labour confident this campaign will resonate with voters?

Little says as a main feature of Labour’s campaign and campaign message it will be for every MP and every candidate to get that out to their communities.

“I'm very confident that people will see what this announcement represents and it aligns with what a lot of New Zealanders are thinking about where our priorities should be today."

Labour will release its Fiscal Policy next week.