Government Must Let Film Subsidies Fall Off Fiscal Cliff - Taxpayers’ Union

The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Government to let film subsidies come to an end as the corporate welfare programme hits its fiscal cliff next year.

Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said:

“Film subsidies are a sad legacy of the Key government that saw the pockets of wealthy elites being lined, rather than making New Zealand a more attractive place for all businesses and industries to operate.

“Robbing Joe Bloggs to pay James Cameron was never a prudent use of taxpayer money, it is time for this farce to end. The film industry must be able to stand on its own two feet rather than sucking money away from more productive areas of the economy.

“National campaigned on cutting back on wasteful spending, now will be the test to see if they have the intestinal fortitude to carry through on that promise. We urge ACT to maintain their principled opposition to handouts for the film sector and push strongly in Cabinet to bring this funding to an end."