The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposal announced today by ACT’s David Seymour to cull the number of Ministers along with the number of government departments, would almost certainly increase political accountability to taxpayers.

Responding to David Seymour’s speech in Auckland, Taxpayers' Union spokesman, Jordan Williams, said:

“Fewer Ministers mean more accountability. The spaghetti junction of government departments and agencies has led to confusion, obfuscation, and waste.”

“Having one Minister each responsible for their own ministry - as ACT’s policy proposes - would make a lot of sense to most Kiwis.”

“Democracy is broken when the average voter can't work out who is in charge of what. Whether your preference is smaller government, bigger government, or in between, most would agree New Zealand needs smarter and more accountable government. Fewer Ministers in-charge of fewer ministries makes that more likely.”

ACT announced plans during their State of the Nation address to cap the number of ministers at twenty. Responding to this, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:

“New Zealand’s government is a jumbled mess, with no one knowing which bureaucrats report to which ministers at any given time. MBIE alone answers to 21 different ministerial portfolios.”

“Blurred lines of responsibility undermine accountability and play into the hands of a bureaucracy that puts far too little stock in democratic oversight. One minister per department is the key to putting control back in voters’ hands.”

“But why stop at twenty Cabinet members? There is strong evidence that once boards grow beyond around a dozen members, coordination and accountability start slipping fast. Cabinet is no different, and if ACT is serious about whipping government into shape its plans should cut further.”

The Taxpayers’ Union has welcomed ACT’s announcement that its local candidates will oppose council-level emissions policies, calling it a needed step to rein in wasteful spending and refocus councils on core services. 

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:

“Under the Emissions Trading Scheme, emissions are already capped nationally. Local climate plans don’t cut a single gram of net emissions - they just burn through ratepayers’ money for no environmental gain.”

“Rates were hiked 15 percent on average last year. The last thing cash-strapped ratepayers need is councils wasting money on ineffective, virtue-signalling red tape and climate strategies.”

“Councils should stick to their knitting and focus on delivering what they can actually control: roads, pipes and rubbish. If they won’t get back to basics, then ratepayers are right to go one step further and demand tools like rates capping to force them to.”