Pharmac funding announcement must include reprioritisation of film and video game subsidies

Responding to reports that the Government is expected to announce a $600m increase in Pharmac medicines, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said:

“The announcement of additional funding would be welcome but must come from reprioritising exisiting spending, not further increasing the deficit.

“An obvious area for these savings is cutting the $341 million in film and gaming subsidies budgeted for over the next four years.

“If the savings to provide further funding for Pharmac do not come from cutting film and video game corporate welfare, the Government should take the opportunity to further increase the reprioritisation to allow Pharmac to purchase even more of the medicines on its wishlist.

“The Government is currently making a political decision to continue to prioritise funding for movies over medicines. Taxpayer money should always be put to its best use. Handouts to New Zealand richlisters does not meet that standard.”