1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,920 Speaker 1: I'm still in slack mouth shock at Barbara Edmund's performance 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: on this program yesterday. After the release of the government's 3 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: books showing we're still in deficit and will be in 4 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:12,400 Speaker 1: deficit longer and with every day that passes, our debt grows. 5 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:15,200 Speaker 1: Labor was quick to say National has screwed things up 6 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: and that we should have voted Labor onto the Treasury 7 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:21,200 Speaker 1: benches because they could do things better. So I thought 8 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,120 Speaker 1: if they thought they could do things better, they could 9 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: perhaps come on to the program and tell you and 10 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 1: I what should have been done. So we gave them 11 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:31,920 Speaker 1: the opportunity to share their superior knowledge, particularly with you 12 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,480 Speaker 1: the voter, yesterday morning. And what did we get. Nothing 13 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:37,599 Speaker 1: other than slogans in a general tone of just trust us. 14 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: Things could have been better, and we'll tell you why 15 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 1: we will be better next year when the election cut 16 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: rolls round. And that was it. I gave specific questions 17 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 1: about spending and debt and all sorts, and she wouldn't answer. Now, 18 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 1: to be fair, she did criticize National's tax cuts, and 19 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 1: that was the moving of the thresholds and reinstating the 20 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 1: rebates for lands. Now the kind of tax cuts, and 21 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:05,960 Speaker 1: yet they're not, but they had the effect of reducing 22 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: government revenue by fourteen billion dollars. Fourteen billion that could 23 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:12,720 Speaker 1: have been used to repay the debt or build infrastructure 24 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:15,399 Speaker 1: if the government wanted to, or they could have just 25 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: blown it anyway. Fourteen billion. Now, look, the thresholds were 26 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 1: morally wrong, and I agree with resetting them. They were 27 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: giving government and automatic tax rise due to wage inflation. 28 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:28,880 Speaker 1: John Key loved it. But changing them in a time 29 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 1: of economic downturn, when your revenues reducing anyway, well that's 30 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: a self inflicted wound on your books, isn't it. But 31 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: they had promised them in the election, and at the 32 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 1: time they called them a tool against the rise and 33 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 1: the cost of living. But you know that that's kind 34 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: of slogan airing as well. That's no better than Barbara Edmonds. 35 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: It was slogan to get votes. And I don't know 36 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 1: if National knew that purposely reducing their revenue was unsustainable. 37 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 1: Slashing their own revenue undid all the work they did 38 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: over the last two years cutting spending. But if they 39 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 1: did know that, that was possibly a piece of economic foolishness. 40 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 1: But it was a good slogan and got them votes. 41 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:08,520 Speaker 1: And this is what worries me the most about this 42 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:12,360 Speaker 1: country and pretty much all its politicians. They will say 43 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,640 Speaker 1: anything to get votes, and they care more about keeping 44 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:19,639 Speaker 1: their jobs than making the country better. For more from 45 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:22,959 Speaker 1: Early Edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen live to news Talks 46 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 1: it be from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast 47 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.