New Zealand Budget: Chris Hipkins promises to “do a few things very well”.new zealand

prime minister of new zealand Chris Hipkins promises an “orthodox, no-frills budget” focused on cost of living and economic expansion, with reduced ambition and expectations ahead of its next budget.

Hipkins gave a pre-budget address and press conference on Thursday to preview the intentions of the last major block of government spending before the October election and plan Labor’s final stretch of the government’s second term.

Since taking over as leader, Hipkins has vowed to ‘re-centralize’ the government Out of the broader ambitions of Jacinda Ardern’s leadership, it promised a laser focus on the “bread and butter problem” and the economy. “Instead of making a long list of worthwhile ideas, we want governments to do a few things well. And those few things need to be focused on growing our economy. There is,” said Hipkins.

“The reality is that governments used to do too many things too quickly, and as a result we were tied to problems that took time and money away from where our primary focus was.” He said, “As Prime Minister, I made the cost of living a top priority.”

Hipkins’ speech and announcement on Thursday focused as much on what the government won’t do as it does what it will do.While he didn’t announce any major new policies or spending plans, he did Damage from recent devastating storms is expected to cost between $9 billion and $14.5 billion. He also ruled out other changes to the tax system. government report This week showed that the richest New Zealanders pay less in tax on their income than their poorest earners.

“We are not going to rock the boat by introducing major new taxes into the budget, such as the wealth tax and the capital gains tax and the new cyclone tax. Today I have made that perfectly clear,” he said. Told.

The government will instead aim to make cuts in some areas to cover these costs, with the overall goal of reducing government spending “while delivering core services.”

Although he did not announce specific measures on Thursday, Hipkins said this week that “as the cost of living rises, more budget will be added on targeted assistance to those most in need.”

The Prime Minister flagged that the budget includes funding for investments in science, skills, vocational training and infrastructure that were devastated during Cyclone Gabriel. “All three of these areas will receive additional support within the budget,” he said.