Finance Minister Bill English leaves tonight for the United Kingdom and the United States to update business, investment and government leaders on New Zealand's economic programme. Mr English will also lead the New Zealand delegation to the eighth Asia-Eu
Finance Minister Bill English leaves tonight for the United Kingdom and the United States to update business, investment and government leaders on New Zealand’s economic programme.
Mr English will also lead the New Zealand delegation to the eighth Asia-Europe summit meeting in Brussels on October 4.
His 10-day visit includes discussions in London with Britain’s Chancellor for the Exchequer George Osborne, Bank of England governor Mervyn King and a series of meetings in Washington at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
At the World Bank, Mr English is scheduled to meet US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Commonwealth finance ministers, including Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan.
Mr English will also meet a number of UK and US investors in New Zealand Government bonds. He returns to New Zealand on October 12.
“Since I visited the UK and the US about a year ago, interest in New Zealand’s economic programme has remained high,” Mr English says. “It’s important that we update them on progress.
“In particular, business and government leaders are keen to hear about our tax package – this sets us apart, as New Zealand is about the only country to have managed personal tax cuts in the past couple of years.”
This is in contrast to the higher taxes faced by several other countries, he said.
“It’s important that we share New Zealand’s economic story in these important markets and set out our programme to build faster growth and create higher-paying jobs.”
