New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says the Budget is mean, visionless, staid and static, and does not think New Zealanders should fall for it.
He also says the tobacco tax increase is slamming the working class who have very few pleasures.
Mr Peters says the Budget shows the National Party has learned nothing over the last 20 years and their surplus target is just a guess.
“This is way out pie in the sky, they are guessing and they are putting it way beyond the next election.
“I don’t think New Zealanders will fall for what is a pretty mean, pretty visionless, pretty staid, static Budget that shows the National Party, in the last 20 years, has learned absolutely nothing.
Mr Peters refused to list anything he liked in the Budget, despite saying there was always the odd thing that was okay.
He says the tobacco tax increase is taking yet another pleasure away from those who are feeling the pinch of tough economic times.
“You’ve got working people, with very few pleasures right now who are up against it with high power prices and all the other costs going up…and now you slam them with alcohol and tobacco tax
He says obesity is the bigger problem and nothing has been done about that.
If he was to have his way, Mr Peters would introduce what he calls “wise tax policy”.
“With wise tax policy, you can seriously incentivise smart economic growth offshore, you can incentivise manufacturing expansion, you can do a whole lot of things with wise tax policy – an option they failed to take.
“It is a Budget that sends the country where it is already going, and that is sideways,” he says.
Watch the video for the full interview.
3 News