Is that it?
The budget delivered nothing for hardworking Kiwis. It was one for John Key’s mates, not your mates.
Aspiring first home buyers in particular will be bitterly disappointed. Bill English ramped up expectations that he would make housing more affordable.
But that’s not what he delivered.
National’s plan to free up land won’t cut it because it’s inevitable developers will build more expensive homes on it rather than affordable starter houses.
To make matters worse the Government’s accord with Auckland is already falling apart because National believes it can ride over any Council that disagrees with them.
The only way to help first home buyers is to roll up your sleeves and build affordable houses. That’s what Labour will do.
Through KiwiBuild, we will build 100,000 affordable homes. We will also bring in a capital gains tax to discourage property speculators who are making a killing and driving up house prices.
We will require landlords to ensure all rental properties are warm and dry. Every New Zealander deserves to live in a healthy home.
National’s possible trial of a Warrant of Fitness on State houses is a joke. We don’t need a pilot programme to tell us that homes should be warm and dry. It’s common sense.
Average growth of 2.5 per cent, unemployment of over 5 per cent and a few scraps that fail to address growing poverty are all underwhelming.
As I said in my speech yesterday, it won’t do anything to help New Zealanders.