Infrastructure fund could go into KiwiBank, says Key
Yesterday, at Nationals' campaign launch, Mr Key announced the fund, which will be set up from sale of up to 49% of four government-owned energy companies.
Prime Minister John Key this morning defended National's new Future Investment Fund, saying it could go into government businesses as well as schools.
Yesterday, at Nationals' campaign launch, Mr Key announced the fund, which will be set up from sale of up to 49% of four government-owned energy companies.
The fund will initially invest $1 billion in modernising New Zealand schools.
However this morning Mr Key said the fund would also be used to fund other required government investment.
"We're not ruling out putting more money into a state owned enterprise - we could put it it into KiwiBank, which is always asking the minister of finance for more money to extend its business," Mr Key told the Business New Zealand/Deloitte pre-election conference in Wellington.
"We are using the cash from the mixed ownership model to create more assets for New Zealand - that is very different from the old days of the 1980s and 1990s, when it was used to pay off debt." delivered a concerted attack on Labour's economic policies this morning.
Labour "thinks the answer to a global debt crisis is more debt," Mr Key said. Listing the increase in the minimum wage, the increases to KiwiSaver which will be funded by employers, the capital gains tax on all businesses. "a more expensive emissions trading scheme, an irrigation tax on farmers, a reintroduction of regional fuel taxes, and a 1970s industrial relations policy Jim Knox would have been proud of," Mr Key said.
Rob Hosking
Mon, 31 Oct 2011
Mon, 31 Oct 2011
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Infrastructure fund could go into KiwiBank, says Key
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