Nicola Willis' fudge-it 'growth' budget

The Taxpayers’ Union is slamming the Government’s lack of ambition when it comes to promoting growth, highlighted by the failure to implement full expensing of capital expenditure.

The “Investment Boost” programme will instead allow businesses to deduct just 20 percent of the value of new assets in the year of purchase.

Commenting, Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman James Ross said:

“Where’s the ambition? The Government admits its ‘Investment Boost’ programme will lead to just a 1 percent boost to GDP over 20 years.”

“Willis has clearly recognised that trapping businesses’ tax refunds in IRD spreadsheets for a decade before they can claim them back fully cripples investment and growth. So why has she left 80 percent of them trapped in depreciation schedules?”

“New Zealand has some of the lowest productivity in the developed world. We need the whole spoonful of pro-growth medicine, not half-baked half-answers.”

“We were promised ‘growth’ and ‘ambition’. We got a flop.”