By Callum Purves

With the Government books now in crisis, the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is calling on Grant Robertson to slash wasteful spending and reduce the number of back-office bureaucrats before it is too late.

“Revelations that the Minister of Finance has been calling public service officials into his office to discuss financial restraint shows just how dire the Government’s financial position is,” Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Callum Purves says.

“But restraint isn’t enough. With Government debt reaching almost $79,000 per household, Grant Robertson needs to significantly slash the billions in wasteful spending to help get the books back in the black.

“It’s clear that Grant Robertson is running out of excuses when it comes to justifying the Government’s monstrous budget hole. Even he knows the current state of the books is untenable.

“The actual budget deficit is already far worse than Treasury predicted and internal sources suggest that the deficit will be significantly larger by next month’s Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update.

“It is time for Minister Robertson to prove that he is capable of getting spending under control in order to stop inflation and create the confidence for people to invest in New Zealand and grow the economy.”

Concerned New Zealanders can sign our petition here.