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National’s alternative budget is a credible plan despite miscalculations involving billions of dollars, says the party’s finance spokesman.
“We made a mistake. We fixed it. The good news is that there is no difference in our policies,” Paul Goldsmith told 400 people at a debate in Queenstown on Tuesday night.
It was Treasury Finance Minister Grant Robertson who printed an incorrect Pre-Election Fiscal and Economic Update, he said.
Robertson said it was a misprint.
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“You have a document that literally doesn’t really add up,” Robertson said of National’s parallel budget.
Debbie Jamieson / Stuff
The ASB Great Debate brought together finance spokespeople in Queenstown, including Paul Goldsmith of National, left, and Grant Robertson of Labor.
The plan was to cut taxes, increase spending and pay off debt, he said.
“Those three things don’t add up,” Robertson said.
The men spoke at the ASB Grand Debate, hosted by the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce, and were joined by Green Party co-leader James Shaw, ACT leader David Seymour and NZ First deputy leader Fletcher Tabuteau.
It followed revelations just hours before National’s alternate budget could have skyrocketed another $ 3.9 billion after the party appeared to have double-counted part of its transportation program.
Apparently National twice counted $ 3.9 billion remaining from New Zealand’s upgrade package.
Debbie Jamieson / Stuff
NZ Deputy First Leader Fletcher Tabuteau, Green Party Co-Leader James Shaw, National Finance Spokesperson Paul Goldsmith, Finance Minister Grant Robertson and ACT Leader David Seymour.
In fact, the excess money was placed in the Treasury’s multi-year capital reserve in May.
It comes after two previous embarrassing mistakes in which Goldsmith miscalculated $ 4.3 billion in New Zealand Superfund contributions and $ 88 million in capital expenditures that came from an earlier set of forecasts.
Goldsmith has denied the mistake this time, saying it dropped the line in National’s Fiscal and Economic Plan to be “consistent” with an earlier national plan.
ACT leader David Seymour proved popular with the crowd.
When Tabuteau questioned the great introductory ovation he received, Seymour joked “get used to it.”
