Christmas bonus Mana policy
Thursday 3rd November, 2011
Mana Party leader Hone Harawira is calling for country's poor to be given the same breaks as the richest.
He says the Christmas bonus has a strong history, with the incoming Kirk Labour government giving an extra payment to beneficiaries in 1972 and Australia stimulating its economy with a $1000 a child Christmas bonus for low and middle income families in 2008.
Hone Harawira says giving $1000 to everyone over 15 who earns $30,000 or less would cost $1.6 billion - which is the same amount John Key's Government gave in tax cuts to the richest 10 per cent.
“When poor people get $1000 they don't invest it, it doesn’t go into financial speculation, they spend it, and so 90 percent goes straight back into the economy,” he says.
Mr Harawira says he's had enough of National's benefit-bashing and Labour's singling out the elderly with its superannuation plans.
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