Thursday's Budget will be sold as a tough Budget for tough times. The Bay of Plenty Times spoke to Tauranga people in different situations about what they expect from the tomorrow's Budget.
The young family
Greerton's Natalie Christy has plenty of thoughts surrounding the 2011 Budget but the mother-of-three will not let it hold her family back.
Prime Minister John Key said some families would be worse off following changes to Working For Families in tomorrow's Budget. However, Mrs Christy and her husband, Sidney, were looking at the positive side of the situation.
The Government last week announced the $2.8 billion scheme designed to help parents work and raise a family would be trimmed because the increasing cost was unsustainable.
Mrs Christy said the family was "a little bit concerned about the Working For Families aspect of the Budget".
We didn't cater for the Christchurch earthquake and these things have to be taken care of, she said.
"I wish they wouldn't take from the families . . . but I realise the reality of the situation and someone has to pay ... "
She said she would rather the money came from within New Zealand so that more money is not owed overseas.
- Genevieve Helliwell
The student
Pre-Budget hints that the Government could discriminate between older and younger students by putting limits on how much older students can borrow has alarmed Tauranga business studies student Jason Wilson.
Mr Wilson, the student president of the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic's Bongard Business School, hopes the Budget will not include a proposal that students over 55 will not be eligible for student loans to fund living and compulsory course costs.
With a lot of his fellow students in the older age groups, he said it would make it too tough for these people to enrol fulltime.
"We are all fighting the same battle, why should they get smaller rations."
A quick poll of his fellow students yesterday also revealed that some want the Government to introduce incentive schemes to keep graduates in New Zealand.
Another idea to lighten the financial load on cash-strapped students was to remove the GST on healthy foods. And the soaring costs of running a car prompted a call for the Government to reduce the taxes on petrol.
- John Cousins
The retired couple
National Radio leaving the airwaves is an outcome Omokoroa couple Eddie and Jean Taylor, both 70, fear following tomorrow's Budget announcement.
Mr Taylor described the station as "a national treasure" and loathes the idea of losing the science, financial analysis and Kathryn Ryan's 9 to noon, shows they both enjoy.
Mrs Taylor also wants to see funding returned for low-cost continuing education classes, particularly for those who are on their own or unemployed.
As pensioners, she said the couple liked a concept they saw in Australia where the Government had taken the GST off the shopping trolley basics like fresh fruit and meat.
A greater emphasis on education and health for under-5s was also top of Mrs Taylor's wish list.
"Prevention of ill health, rather than the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff," she said.
Educating New Zealanders on the dangers of smoking was also an area where Mrs Taylor was happy to see more money spent.
- by Michele McPherson
The young professionals
Tauranga couple James and Talia Waldegrave don't have huge expectations of this year's Budget and are hoping the country's current economic direction is maintained.
Mr Waldegrave, 33, is a real estate agent at Eves Realty, and his wife, 30, is studying creative writing. He said they backed the Government's economic policies, and believed Finance Minister Bill English was doing a good job.
The couple is keen to see the student loan scheme remain interest free, as they both have a student loans.
Mr Waldegrave said "too much tinkering" with the scheme would have a huge impact on them.
He said they wouldn't like to see any further increase in GST as that hit them hard last time.
They want the Government to make more effort to support small businesses, and offer grants and other initiatives to encourage new firms to start up.
- by Sandra Conchie