Barbara Edmonds Leads Where Government Fails on Policy Scrutiny
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union welcomes reports that Labour’s finance spokesperson, Barbara Edmonds, has offered to support Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ efforts to establish an election policy costing unit.
Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said:
“Barbara Edmonds is on the right track with her members’ bill. It’s rare for the Taxpayers’ Union to call on the Government to spend money or create new offices, but this has long-term benefits to the taxpayer. We have been calling for this for more than a decade, and run our own pre-election policy costing unit, called the “Bribe-O-Meter” during various election cycles.”
“It’s true that Minister Willis’ proposal for a unit within the Public Service Commission cannot be considered truly independent. Our preference would be for it to be an officer of Parliament, like the Auditor General and the Parliamentary Commissioners.”
“We also favour a full service, Independent Fiscal Institute or Office of Budget Responsibility similar to that in the UK. Its role would be to expose the fiscal cliffs and budget assumptions that the public need clarity on to make informed voting decisions.”
“Governments continually kicking the budget surplus can down the road and running up debt is costing the country. A properly structured Independent Fiscal Institute would provide much greater transparency which promotes more accountability. Greater sunlight will lead to more responsible fiscal management that will deliver long-term savings far in excess of the Institute's cost.”
“Edmonds’ policy is a good recipe as a first step, and we will do everything we can to support this initiative.”
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