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National also continues to dispute claims that it double-counted transportation financing.
It allocated $ 3.9 billion of transportation funds under the New Zealand Upgrade Program, but that money no longer exists under that umbrella, as the government transferred it earlier this year to a more general transportation fund.
National is accused of allocating money from the New Zealand Improvement Program that no longer exists, as well as money in the more general transportation fund, for which it has counted twice.
But Goldsmith rejects the accusations because the plan still adds. He said National would cover it by spending future earnings from the National Land Transportation Fund (NLTF), which collects about $ 4 billion each year from fuel taxes and road user charges.
NZIER, or the New Zealand Institute for Economic Research, has independently reviewed National’s plan and says there is no double counting on it.
“Our assessment remains that the National Party plan is fully funded.”
But Labor finance spokesman Grant Robertson says National’s fiscal hole is now $ 8 billion and Goldsmith is trying to “cover” its mistake by taking money from the NLTF.
Goldsmith wants to know why Robertson is having trouble using the NLTF and assumes that Labor will not use it to fund their projects.
