From Whaleoil Blog
Self confessed benefit fraudster Metiria Turei, in a brazen case of self-interest has declared that she believes that benefit sanctions should be lifted.
Talk about self-preservation.
Benefit sanctions will be lifted, the poorest taxed less and the richest more, while a Green Party in Government would also seek to raise all benefits by 20 per cent.
In a bold new policy launch, Greens co-leader Metiria Turei has also revealed she lied to her case workers when she was a solo mum, studying a law degree, while collecting the Domestic Purposes Benefit.
Speaking to a fervent core base of party faithful, Turei told the conference of her parents’ struggle to find work and her own battle as a mum on the DPB, lying to the state about how many people were living in her house.
Her experiences have shaped the party’s welfare policy, dubbed “mending the safety net”, which will likely prove controversial and draw an ideological line in the sand over the presence of the welfare state.
Mending the safety net? More like building a hammock so bludgers can choose work or welfare.
The $1.4 billion policy would provide a suite of major changes that would effectively dismantle the Government’s welfare reforms introduced in 2012, that placed obligations for beneficiaries to prove they were looking for work, not taking drugs, and showing up for appointments and courses.
The Greens policy would lift nearly all penalties and obligations for beneficiaries, raise the amount they were receiving and keep the tap running for as long as they needed.
“Our plan will lift people out of poverty, and guarantee a basic liveable income for anyone working or on a benefit,” Turei said.
“We believe that poverty should never be used as a weapon, especially when children are involved.
“Our plan to mend the safety net will ensure that all families in New Zealand can afford to put food on the table, keep a roof over their head and pay their power bill.”
Yup a nice comfy hammock and a trampoline instead of a safety net.
The Greens would change the Working for Families “in-work tax credit” to a Children’s Payment that goes to all families who currently qualified for it. The current qualification thresholds would not be changed.
The poorest families could receive up to $72 a week extra as a result, on top of changes to tax thresholds and the minimum wage.
Those changes would include reducing the bottom tax rate from 10.5 per cent to 9 per cent for anyone earning less than $14,000, while anyone earning more than $150,000 per year will have their tax rate hiked from 33 per cent to 40 per cent – expected to generate about $605m in revenue.
More for bludgers, and higher taxes for the productive classes to pay for the bludgers. Vote Labour, get the Greens and higher taxes.
It won’t generate that level of taxation though, those people will seek to minimise their taxes as they are entitled to do under the law.
Talk about a venal, self protection policy from Turei.
I guess bludgers will always be bludgers.