Willis’ bureaucrat slash is a win for taxpayers, Budget must now go further

The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ target to reduce the public service to 55,000, saying it is a win for taxpayers – but that next week’s Budget must keep the same pressure.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“Cutting the public service headcount is a big win for taxpayers. At long last, Minister Willis is putting some backbone into the books.

“But 55,000 must be the halfway mark, not the finish line. When National left office in 2017, the public service sat at around 47,000 FTEs - if that was enough then, it should be enough now.”

“The proof of the pudding will be in the eating: public service numbers must actually fall. But between last week’s decision to scrap Fees Free and today’s target to shrink the public service, it’s clear Minister Willis has been reading A Pathway to Surplus.”

“This is a step toward surplus, but taxpayers should not have to wait until the end of the decade for the books to balance. Next week’s Budget needs to go further and cut harder across the board to bring the books back to black.”