Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne has harshly criticized this year’s budget, giving it a failing grade and arguing that the government has provided no evidence of abundance in its allocations for the upcoming fiscal year.
In his response in the House of Assembly yesterday, Mr. Thorne condemned the proposal, calling it disrespectful to the poor.
“When the Honourable Member for Christchurch comes here on Monday and claims this is a budget of bounty, there is no evidence of that bounty,” he stated. “This budget is truly contemptuous to the poor. You come in here and declare a bountiful budget, yet there is no proof of that abundance. You tell the workers of this country that wages have increased, but in some cases, calculations show an increase of just 17 cents. It is practically nonexistent.”