Tomorrow's Finance Minister Bill English will deliver his 2015 Budget. We ask Tauranga locals what the Government should focus on.
The retirees - Max and Pam Lewis
Mr and Mrs Lewis are hoping tomorrow's Budget will give a helping hand to struggling children and pensioners. "Not just handouts all the time,it's a trite expression but it's true. Anyone can just give money but it needs to be used constructively," Mrs Lewis said. "Back in our day, if you had a strong back and a willing arm you would be assured a job. It's not like that these days, children need a higher academic background." Investing in education was a priority to help disadvantaged children and Mr Lewis believed there needed to be a bigger focus on the first 1000 days of a child's life - the formative years. Mrs Lewis appreciated that waiting times for joint replacement surgery had decreased but said elders were finding it hard paying for the likes of insurance and rates and she would like to see a subsidy for those costs.
Mr Eagleson, who is in his 30s and is a lawyer at Holland Beckett, had a wish list of three main areas he would like the Government to focus on in the latest Budget - including dealing with Auckland's housing prices. He would like to see: 1. Greater funding for the Courts and Official Assignee, who investigates and administers bankrupts. 2. The Auckland housing bubble dealt with in a way that does not affect the rest of the country - "I am interested to see more detail about this capital gains tax, at first glance it looks like a tightening on the existing income tax regime rather than a new regime." 3. The Government having a better plan or strategy for regional development and to actively look for opportunities where governmental infrastructure could be decentralised outside the main centres such as Auckland.
Ben Eagleson.
The family - The Blythe family
Todd Blythe is married to Sharon and has two children, Sofi, 9, and and Maddi, 7 (pictured). He hopes the Budget will dedicate funding to address children in need. "I'd like more money invested into education in general, as well as more assistance for lower decile schools and helping those kids." Mr Blythe was a supporter of bringing in food into schools, although he said it was a "catch 22". "But it has to be done to support the society that we live in and give kids a better chance of a good life. At the end of the day, even if parents are going to take advantage, the kids still need to have the best opportunities." The Government could subsidise health insurance for elderly people who were less able to pay the costs when they were more likely to need the system. He said the economy was "going alright", but small businesses could always use more help.
Todd and Sharon Blythe and their children Sofi 9yrs (left) and Maddi 7yrs.
Mr Hembrow's main priority is aiming extra funding at helping youth. "Youth education, youth aid, more money into youth activities like life education. There's a lot of disenfranchised youth out there who will be a problem in future." Mr Hembrow said there were some "great organisations doing great things" but it all came at a cost. This kind of funding should be aimed at schemes to help the young aged 11 and 12 upwards, he said. "Social problems are something I'm really conscious about at the moment." Mr Hembrow also felt there should be a tax deduction scheme for parents who sent their children for further education such as extra lessons, similar to how workplaces were given a tax deduction for upskilling employees.
