New tax thresholds will reduce most people’s income tax bills - Carl Bates

Finance minister Nicola Willis with Ian McDonald, managing director of McDonald Concrete Group and Carl Bates, during the Minister’s recent visit to Whanganui.

THREE KEY FACTS:

• The Government is changing New Zealand’s tax threshold for the first time in 14 years
• 727,000 households will benefit by at least $75
• 187,000 will benefit by at least $100 a fortnight.

Carl Bates is MP for Whanganui

OPINION

Dear New Zealand taxpayer; tax relief is here - July 31, is the day New Zealand’s first significant tax threshold changes in 14 years are rolled out.

During last year’s General Election campaign the National Party promised tax relief for Kiwis, and from today, the coalition Government is delivering on that promise.

Finance Minister Hon Nicola Willis says the adjustment to the lowest tax threshold reduces income tax for everyone earning more than $14,000 a year.

The tax changes tilt the benefits of the package towards low to middle-income working families with children. As I found talking with parents at the Whanganui River Markets on Saturday morning, these families are often those who have been hardest hit by rising prices.

Treasury figures show that an estimated 727,000 households will benefit by at least $75 a fortnight, and 187,000 will benefit by at least $100 a fortnight.

With inflation trending downwards and talk of interest rate cuts coming sooner rather than later, I believe this is good news for the economy in general.

The July 31 implementation date has given employers and payroll providers time to make necessary changes. As Minister Willis said, “Kiwi workers can have confidence they will get the tax relief that is owed to them.”

We are relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track, and providing tax relief for hard-working Kiwis is an important part of that.

Another bit of good news for the Whanganui electorate is that the time to repair potholes will be shortened.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown recently announced that targets had been agreed upon with the NZ Transport Agency and roading contractors

A target has been set for 95% of potholes on major state highways to be repaired within 24 hours, and 85% on regional or secondary state highways.

Locally, funding for Manawatū-Whanganui regional roads has increased by a whopping 38% to $132 million.

NZTA has set up a hotline to report potholes in need of repair; call 0800-444-449 as quickly as you can when you come across a pothole and NZTA will get contractors on the job.

We promised to give tax relief, and we promised we would fix potholes; two entirely separate issues on which we are delivering for the Whanganui Electorate.