Labour's manifesto confirms Chris Hipkins will tax New Zealanders more to pay for his reckless spending, National's Campaign Chair Simeon Brown says.
"There is only one thing Kiwis can be certain Chris Hipkins will deliver following the release of his manifesto - higher taxes to fund higher spending.
"After Labour previously backed away from its commitment to lift government spending to 33 per cent of GDP, it has now quietly slipped this multi-billion-dollar promise back into its agenda, hoping nobody will notice.
"Despite this amounting to thousands of dollars in additional spending per household, Labour's fiscal plan fails to explain where all the additional revenue needed to fund it will come from.
"The inconsistencies don't stop there. Labour also appears to have watered down its debt target in today's manifesto.
"In its fiscal plan, Labour committed to reducing net debt 'below 20 per cent of GDP over time'. Its manifesto now says only that it will reduce net debt 'towards 20 per cent of GDP'. Which is it?
"This isn't Monopoly money. Every extra dollar Labour promises to spend has to come from somewhere, and New Zealanders deserve to know how much more Chris Hipkins plans to take from them to pay for it.
"Labour alone means billion in additional taxes on Kiwis. A Labour coalition with Chloe Swarbrick as Finance Minister mean economy-crashing levels of taxation and spending.
"The choice couldn't be clearer. Stick with National's plan for a more secure future, or risk it all on a Labour-led four-party coalition with Chloe Swarbrick as Finance Minister."
