Greenpeace Aotearoa is condemning the Government’s 2025
Budget as a fighting fund for the war on nature, taken from
hard-working New Zealanders to funnel towards wannabe seabed
miners and oil and gas exploration.
As part of Budget
2025, the Government announced over a billion in tax cuts
for corporates and a $200m
dollar fund for gas exploration and
extraction.
“This is a Scorched Earth Budget delivered
in the middle of a climate crisis. The Government should be
doubling down on action to cut emissions – not dumping
public money into more fossil fuel
extraction.”
“Let’s be clear about why they’re
slashing equal pay for women and gutting environmental
protections – it’s to fund tax cuts for landlords and big
tobacco, and now give handouts to the fossil fuel
industry.”
Greenpeace warns that “balancing the books”
will only get harder if the Government pushes ahead with the
Regulatory Standards Bill and RMA reforms. Both proposals
include compensation clauses that could see corporations
demand taxpayer handouts whenever new environmental or
public health protections are introduced.
“It’s hard
to see how any future government is going to afford basic
protections for people or nature if polluters can demand
payment every time they’re regulated,” says
Toop.
Greenpeace says this Budget is part of a pattern
of slashing money for environmental and climate initiatives.
Since taking the reins, the Government
has:
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