Luxon's Deception and U-Turn on Corporate Welfare

Remember when Luxon said he would back the Police and then offered them a pay increase which was less than Labour had offered before the election?

The Police Association said their feedback was unprintable and Police Minister Mark Mitchell said the government was negotiating in "tough economic times". ( Optional tax cuts cost $14.9 Billion )

Subsequently Mark Mitchell went back with a slightly better offer at 4% - because truth was the National Party could afford to back the police - and were just trying to nickel-and-dime Police officer's pay like they should not be paid what they are really worth.

Mitchell told everyone that was the best offer the Government could afford which is a load of bollocks as well - and 8,000 Police Officers ( 75% of the force ) rejected the offer outright.

Now the pay deal for Police has to go to arbitration because clearly National are bloody well not going to the back the police right now - crying we can't afford it - when that is an outright lie.

The Australians are rubbing their hands as they snap up our police who are leaving in droves for better pay.

As you know the bald vanilla gorilla is back from Manila but what you may not be aware of is he gave away $41 Million in NZ taxpayer money to a Bank while over there.

I am not kidding, you can look it up on the Beehive Releases website.

Before we get into why Luxon gave all that hard earned taxpayer money away to an offshore Corporate Bank - and not to our Police - the total offer to Police was $789 Million so $41 Million would have added another 5% to the deal.

The offshore Corporate Gravy Train welfare cheque that Luxon wrote at the expense of Police pay was for a worthy cause but it came with large spoonfuls of deception and hypocrisy.

National had raged hard against Corporate Welfare with regard to the Labour Government's $650 Million GIDI fund over four years to help industry transition away from industrial fossil fuel based production to clean energy solutions.

There are countless examples of Willis and Luxon raving about how they did not believe in Corporate Welfare but I will cite one, cos that's all I need.

In March 2023 Labour made a substantial $140 Million subsidy to NZ Steel to pay for half of an electric arc furnace - which contributed to 5% of New Zealand's emissions reductions and kept many jobs in New Zealand.

Luxon was beyond rage - despite this all being funded by the GIDI fund which came from recycled revenue out of the ETS ( not taxpayers pockets ) and on 17 May 2023 Luxon announced he did not think taxpayers should subsidise the cost of corporate decarbonisation.

Yes the deception but wait - Luxon also said he thought corporates should pay for it themselves - and Luxon then planned to steal all the money from the GIDI funds for other purposes.

After the election ( March 2024 ) - all this noble talk about Corporate Welfare flew out the door in a wave of hypocrisy as Luxon's Government looked into ways to give corporate welfare to the Oil and Gas Industry - should a future Greener Red Government bring back the ban on fossil fuel exploration.

Oil and Gas investment is big and needs to last a very long time so Pumpkin Head Shane Jones dug deep to try and insure his crony mates so investors would not run for the hills in a climate crisis.

The Atlas Network Taxpayers Union stayed mum at the time preferring to attack the Public Service and easy punch down targets about Government Spending ( small amounts really ) - and so far they are very busy looking the other way about Luxon's latest $41 Million taxpayer money cash giveaway.

Luxon's press release on 19 April 2024 reads :

"New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM)."

What happened to "they can pay for it themselves" and "we do not believe in corporate welfare"?

Heck this is not even a New Zealand based cash giveaway?

That's right he lied and is now demonstrating how he deceived voters to win power - by going back on his pre-election position.

Now I know some of you think we should not conflate Police Pay with Climate Reduction spending - but when a Government like this one cries "we cannot afford it" and "We don't believe in Corporate Welfare" when it can and does - it is showing you it's priorities and also it's deceptive practices.

Luxon's energy levels are high - but his deceptive practices and hypocrisy levels are much higher still.

No wonder the folks overseas who just got $41 Million from all of us - were smiling in the photo ops as the NZ Herald tipped it's hat in sheer love and admiration for Luxon.

Isn't Corporate Welfare great when it makes Luxon look popular and progressive after an election?

NZ should be able to invest in industrial climate transition projects funded by the ETS and pay the Police a fair pay increase that keeps them in New Zealand.

These matters would all be so much easier without Nicola Willis' $14.9 Billion in unnecessary tax cuts being layered on top of things and the most vulnerable suffering cuts ( Mental Health cuts, the disabled carers respite, Health services refusing new Doctors, beneficiaries going backwards, miserable minimum wage increase etc ) and the likes of police having to be squeezed as a result.

The rationale for tax cuts do not stack up - there is no evidence for the claims made by Willis and Luxon that they are reducing the cost of living or building the economy.

Ask almost any economist.

We sure as hell can afford a massive pay increase for MPs and neither Luxon, Willis nor Mark Mitchell are going to prevent that happening with their snouts in the trough.

There's a growing backlash coming from folks of all walks of life around the Motu - and I hope everyone turns out at the organised protests ahead.

The deception and punch down must end.

Stand up fight back.

Luxon's Deception and U-Turn on Corporate Welfare

Morena

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