The Taxpayers’ Union notes at least 17 announcements
from within the last four months which are missing from the
Greens’
fiscal plan, despite the Greens describing themselves as
“the party of real economic responsibility.
These 17
policies total $176.374 billion, or $85,122 per
household.
| Policy | Date announced |
4-year costing ($m) |
|---|---|---|
| ACC extension to cover all injuries, disability and illness |
July 2026 |
96,000 |
| Increase benefits to liveable rates |
July 2026 |
27,604 |
| Student loan write-off |
July 2026 |
16,222 |
| Universal student income |
July 2026 |
14,400 |
| Work towards free tertiary education up to first degree |
July 2026 |
8,000 |
| Paid parental leave to 65 weeks |
July 2026 |
6,600 |
| Free early childhood education for all |
July 2026 |
5,379 |
| Work towards writing off MSD debt |
July 2026 |
1,370 |
| EV subsidies |
July 2026 |
337.1 |
| Price on agricultural emissions |
July 2026 |
200 |
| Ministry for the Environment funding |
July 2026 |
90 |
| Hauraki Gulf protection |
October 2026 |
52.5 |
| Lobbying regulation |
September 2026 |
48 |
| AI regulation |
October 2026 |
29.2 |
| Rental Warrant of Fitness |
July 2026 |
21 |
| Community environment funding (EPA) |
July 2026 |
13.5 |
| Commercial rent tribunal |
September 2026 |
7.2 |
| Total | 176,373.5 |
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With
voting opening Monday, Taxpayers’ Union Head of Policy
James Ross asks when we can expect the other half of the
fiscal plan.
“Were the Greens telling the truth when
they made each of these 17 missing spending promises between
July 2026 and now? Or are they telling the truth now by not
including them in the fiscal plan? It has to be one or the
other.”
“Why bother releasing a fiscal plan at all
if the majority of your spending plans aren’t going to be
included? A small fiscal gap is one thing, but $176 billion
isn’t small. That $85,122-per-household is about the same
size as total crown government spending last
year.”
“Giving the benefit of the doubt, maybe
it’s that the left hand doesn’t know what the other,
further-left hand is doing at Green Party HQ. But it
doesn’t take a Parliamentary Budget Officer to show that
this fiscal plan isn’t worth the paper it’s written
on.”
The Taxpayers’ Union’s Bribe-O-Meter is
available at www.taxpayers.org.nz/bribe_o_meter.
It is current up to 11:59pm Sunday 18
October.
NOTES:
The New Zealand
Taxpayers’ Union is an independent and
membership-driven activist group, dedicated to being the
voice for Kiwi taxpayers in the corridors of power. Its
mission, lower taxes, less waste, more transparency,
is supported by 200,000 subscribed members and
supporters.
