'Opportunities' haven't closed income gap - English

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Sat, 12 Nov 2011 11:29a.m.

Bill English on The Nation

Bill English on The Nation

By 3news.co.nz staff

Finance Minister Bill English has admitted in the last three years, the Government has failed to close the gap between the rich and the poor.

Speaking to The Nation's Duncan Garner, Mr English said the gap was "roughly the same" as it was three years ago.

"We have made sure right through the recession that benefit levels have kept up with the cost of living, and we have largely maintained Working for Families," says Mr English.

"At the bottom end we have made sure people are holding their own."

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He rejected Mr Garner's claim that the Government's tax cuts had widened the gap between rich and poor, by delivering $151 a week into the hands of people on $150,000 a year, but only $16 for those on $30,000.

Mr English said his data showed that incomes for the top 10 percent of earners had actually come down during the recession.

He said instead of increasing minimum wage and extending In Work tax credits like Labour is proposing, National instead focuses on creating "opportunities".

"It's our aim to provide them with opportunity," says Mr English.

"You can explicitly close the income gap in the short term if you just give more money to people on low incomes – our opponents are proposing to do that. I don't think anyone believes that's the way out of poverty."

As for borrowing more money, Mr English refused to rule it out, despite the impact of the Canterbury earthquakes and the recession.

"We've got a track record of managing these kind of unexpected events pretty well, and I think you could expect more of the same from the Government – that is a willingness to protect the vulnerable, I think that's quite important," says Mr English.

"In extreme circumstances – some kind of catastrophe – [further borrowing] is of course one of the options. But we are determined to stick to the track to surplus, and within the reasonable range of likely things that could happen, we are sticking to that plan."

He says the Government is not going to sell off any assets that it has not already said it would.

"We're not seeking a mandate for anything beyond what is being put to the public."

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Comments

19 Nov 2011 01:28p.m.

DANIAL wrote:

hes such an idiot bill there havent been any opertunites what an idiot . and ya tax cuts did not produce 1 job you looser.3 and by the way pay back the 40 grand you stole from tax payers mate you theif .

16 Nov 2011 12:34p.m.

RobertM wrote:

Surely Bill English's recent statements indicate that he's in revolt against his own party and a closet leftie. After all Bill English say's people can't live for long on the minimum wage. So what's Bill's Governmnet doing imposing youth rates and tougher benefit conditons. How can an 18 year old young women finance a university education on a youth rate of $420 a week and pay for her outfits, fittings, flat and cosmetics as well.
Mid term Bill always spouts the Treasury line, but he is never convincing as a hard liner because he dosen't believe it.
This man Bill English said the Railways are a 'black hole' and a permanent big money loser. But Bill had no answer other than pouring more money in. Thats standard English answer- I have no answer, nobody does. Typical Southland logic.

14 Nov 2011 09:16p.m.

johnmillan wrote:

Engish has just returned from overseas,Maybe the jet lag has got too his brain,same as Key has never got over the lag with all the trips he has done in 3 years,as if it is not lapse of memory,it must be utter bullshit then,that key comes up with.

13 Nov 2011 08:34p.m.

zac wrote:

I remember someone (Might have been Annette King)from the labour party questioning John Key about this in the House after they increased the GST. I'm sure he said,"NZder's are now better off". With Bill English now admitting that the gap between the rich and the poor is still the same as 3 years ago, then John Key mislead the House one again. Surely, Hansard will have this on record. As for Bill English, how can he tell millions of NZder's with a straight face that the gap between the rich and the poor is still the same as 3 years ago when only weeks ago a report came out that the top 150 New Zealanders on the NBR Rich List have experienced a 20% increase in their wealth in just one year? If anyone doesn't see his comments as misleading, then I don't know what will take the 98% of NZder's who are not on the list to take note of what this government is not doing for them. The trickling down affect national and the business round table has been telling us for years is not trickling downwards, only upwards.

13 Nov 2011 08:15a.m.

alison wrote:

Great to see some decent impartial reporting asking some of the hard questions for a change. Well done Duncan

12 Nov 2011 10:52p.m.

Hamish wrote:

Clarke, just a gut feeling that I cant explain but im sure Bill is not as bad as john, even with his admiration of American trigger happy-ness.

12 Nov 2011 06:23p.m.

Clarke wrote:

Always at odds with what John Key has said. Earlier this week when asked if further asset sales were on the cards John Key said "I'm not ruling it out". English and Key always say two very different things on nearly every topic. National has had plenty of opportunity to close the income gap, however according to John Key that may take us years to decades. He loves the fact that New Zealand is a low income country and has no intentions of changing that infact he intends to make it worse with the introduction of youth rates. But still, I wonder why English and Key cant seem to get their stories straight.

12 Nov 2011 04:25p.m.

Ruz wrote:

It is pretty clear from the figures that Duncan Garner put to Bill English about the income gap that thos eon lower incomes are worse off because of the income and GST tax changes introduced by National. The response from Bill English was weak it is very evident that the rich have benefited hugely from National Party polices and no doubt will do so in the future.

12 Nov 2011 03:32p.m.

Seannachie wrote:

Come on 100,000 New Zealanders living in poverty ,the new waged poor ,a minimum wage of $13.50 way below the cost of living, a low wage policy ,Tax Cuts for the Rich with any increases for low income earners wiped out by increases in ACC Levies on wage and salary earners.The Facts speak for themselves this National Government is a government by the rich,of the rich and for the rich. Having by its policies reduced 100,000 persons to poverty it is now hell bent on benficiary bashing to appeal to its constituency. If poverty is not for you vote for Labour with its policies of a $15 per hour minmum wage, the first $5000 of earnings being tax exempt, and exemption of Fruit and Vegetables from GST. Vote for Labour put an end to middle and low income New Zealanders having to bear the cost of National's $16 billion deficit to fund Tax Cuts for the Rich. Vote Labour to end 7.7% increases in the cost of living on account of Nationals increase in GST to 15% to fund Nationals Tax Cuts for the Rich. Great opportunities National Wages way below the cost of living a substandard minimum wage and a Third World Youth rate.Time for National to be sent packing.

12 Nov 2011 03:31p.m.

Seannachie wrote:

Come on 100,000 New Zealanders living in poverty ,the new waged poor ,a minimum wage of $13.50 way below the cost of living, a low wage policy ,Tax Cuts for the Rich with any increases for low income earners wiped out by increases in ACC Levies on wage and salary earners.The Facts speak for themselves this National Government is a government by the rich,of the rich and for the rich. Having by its policies reduced 100,000 persons to poverty it is now hell bent on benficiary bashing to appeal to its constituency. If poverty is not for you vote for Labour with its policies of a $15 per hour minmum wage, the first $5000 of earnings being tax exempt, and exemption of Fruit and Vegetables from GST. Vote for Labour put an end to middle and low income New Zealanders having to bear the cost of National's $16 billion deficit to fund Tax Cuts for the Rich. Vote Labour to end 7.7% increases in the cost of living on account of Nationals increase in GST to 15% to fund Nationals Tax Cuts for the Rich. Great opportunities National Wages way below the cost of living a substandard minimum wage and a Third World Youth rate.Time for National to be sent packing.