VZCZCXRO1526
RR RUEHAG RUEHCHI RUEHDF RUEHFK RUEHHM RUEHIK RUEHKSO RUEHLZ RUEHNAG
RUEHPB RUEHRN RUEHROV
DE RUEHWL #0168/01 1440633
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 230633Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5242
INFO RUEHNZ/AMCONSUL AUCKLAND 1673
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 5179
RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY 0677
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHZU/ASIAN PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION
RUEHSS/OECD POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC 0230
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 WELLINGTON 000168 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/ANP, EB, INR, STATE PASS TO USTR, PACOM FOR 
J01E/J2/J233/J5/SJFHQ 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PGOV EFIN NZ
SUBJECT: NEW ZEALAND'S 2008 BUDGET - TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE. 
 
Ref A) WELLINGTON 163 
Ref B) WELLINGTON 159 
 
WELLINGTON 00000168  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Summary.  The New Zealand Labour Party's 2008 Budget 
offered social expenditures and tax cuts in a last ditch appeal to 
voters in this election year where Labour lags badly in recent polls 
(see Ref A).  It includes a three-year program of personal tax cuts, 
starting with an average rebate of NZ$20 beginning just prior to 
this year's election (scheduled no later than November 15).  The 
Opposition National Party criticized the size and timing of the tax 
cuts, but now faces calls to detail its own fiscal game plan for the 
country.  For Labour, this budget represents the last remaining 
deliverable to persuade voters to return it to office.  However, it 
is probably too little, too late.  End Summary. 
 
Cullen's Tax Cuts:  Too Little Too Late? 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U)  New Zealand Finance Minister, also Deputy Prime Minister, 
Dr. Michael Cullen unveiled in his annual Budget speech to 
Parliament on May 22 a NZ$10.6 (US$8.25) billion package of tax cuts 
to be rolled out over the next three years.  The Government 
estimates the budget's tax cuts and higher government spending will 
equate to 2.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) over the 
course of the fiscal year.  Cullen told Parliament that his 
three-year program will deliver between NZ$12 and NZ$28 a week more 
in take home pay from October this year, rising to between NZ$22 and 
NZ$55 a week by April 2011.  These long anticipated tax cuts will 
cost the government about NZ$1.5 billion in first year and escalate 
to NZ$10.6 billion in total by 2011. 
 
¶3. (U)  Inflation adjustments to the Working for Families 
entitlements (welfare benefits for families) will also be brought 
forward from April 1 next year to October 1 this year.  The net 
effect would give a two-income couple with three children under age 
13 and combined earnings of NZ$65,000 an additional NZ$45 a week 
beginning October 1, 2008 and increasing to NZ$90 a week by April 
¶2011.  For retirees, the New Zealand Superannuation Fund benefits 
will add $45.88 for a married couple and $23.84 for a single person 
living alone on pension. 
 
The Budget: Something for Everybody 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U)  The Government of New Zealand has projected it will collect 
NZ$61.9 billion in revenue in the 2008/9 fiscal cycle, which amounts 
to approximately 33.4 percent of total GDP (NZ$185 billion or US$145 
billion).  The three largest sources of this revenue are individual 
income taxes amounting to NZ$27.2 billion, GST of NZ$11.9 billion 
and corporate taxes of NZ$9.6 billion.  The Government will spend 
the NZ$61.9 billion in 2008/09 as follows: 
 
-- Health  NZ$12.6 billion 
-- Education  NZ$10.5 billion 
-- Social Security & welfare  NZ$9.2 billion 
-- NZ Superannuation Fund (pension scheme)  NZ$7.8 billion 
-- Primary services  NZ$5.7 billion 
-- Core government services  NZ$3.4 billion 
-- Law and order  NZ$3.1 billion 
-- Transport & communications NZ$2.8 billion 
-- Economic & industrial services NZ$2.4 billion 
-- Defense NZ$1.7 billion 
 
COMMENT: This list reflects the priority this government has placed 
on social expenditures over economic development and national 
security throughout its tenure in office. END COMMENT. 
 
¶5. (U)  Highlights in the Budget intended to garner the favor of 
voters include: 
-- NZ$3 billion for improved health services over four years; NZ$2 
billion of which will go to district health boards to cover the 
increased costs for goods and services and population increases. 
-- NZ$1.8 billion for teachers' salary increases over five years 
(NZ$619 million in 2008). 
-- NZ$215 million to hire 762 additional teachers over four years to 
reduce class sizes to one teacher per 15 students. 
-- NZ$690 million for Toll rail operations -- the previously 
announced NZ$665 million purchase price plus $25m to cover the costs 
of lease arrangements and staff presented as an improvement in the 
 
WELLINGTON 00000168  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
transport sector.  See Ref B. 
-- NZ$500 million effort to improve high-speed broadband in urban 
areas and extend its reach into rural regions. 
-- NZ$189.5 million to hire 1,000 additional policemen. 
 
Reaction by Business 
-------------------- 
 
¶6. (U)  Roger Kerr, Executive Director of the New Zealand Business 
Roundtable reacted to the 2008 Budget saying, we "called for all 
high [personal] income tax rates to be reduced and aligned with the 
company tax rate of 30 percent as a step in the right direction." 
Instead, the government widened rather than flattened the tax scale 
by reducing only the bottom personal tax rate, and the threshold 
adjustments did little to improve incentives for productive 
activity. The government focused on short-term relief to household 
budgets.  Expressing a position, which may be taken up by the 
National Party, Kerr went on to say, "with greater spending 
discipline and growth-oriented tax changes, much larger tax 
reductions could have been implemented without putting at risk 
inflation and a sound fiscal position."  He further warned that 
government spending as a share of the economy is forecast to rise 
rather than fall (by around 1.5 percent of GDP between 2008 and 
2010), indicating that the true ongoing tax burden is rising rather 
than falling. 
 
Reserve Bank May Keep Interest Rates High 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶7. (U)  The cuts in personal income tax rates may amount to a zero 
sum benefit if the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) continues its 
current tight monetary policy.  Initially many local economists had 
been predicting the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ - NZ's central 
bank) would begin cutting the official cash rate (OCR now 8.25%) by 
September '08, amid growing evidence of a sharp economic slowdown 
but those same economists are now forecasting that the cuts could be 
much more "stimulatory" (inflationary) than had been anticipated. 
The RBNZ had been expecting only NZ$1.5 billion in tax cuts to take 
effect in April next year leading to possible reduction in the OCR 
by September '08, but economists now expect the OCR will remain high 
until at least March '09. 
 
Support Parties Got Their Share 
------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (U)  In terms of voting blocs, it is possible that the 
beneficiaries will not be Labour, but rather its key support 
parties.  Although New Zealand First's Winston Peters wanted more 
tax concessions and policies to support local industry, he will take 
credit for increases to superannuation and increased support for 
older New Zealanders.  The Greens wanted to hold back on tax cuts 
and instead bolster social spending.  However, they will nonetheless 
take credit for budget allocations for energy efficiency and 
environmental cleanup. 
 
National Party Slams Budget 
--------------------------- 
 
¶9. (U)  Opposition leader John Key reacted to the 2008 budget by 
criticizing Labour's economic stewardship over its nine years in 
office and its failure to offer tax cuts before now.  Key argued 
that Labour had accumulated large surpluses by overtaxing New 
Zealanders over the past nine years and reminded voters that no 
finance minister in New Zealand history has had the opportunity to 
cut taxes like Cullen.  Key is confident that New Zealanders will 
see Cullen's decision to finally deliver tax cuts just prior to the 
election as "the desperate and cynical move it is". Key also focused 
on size of the tax cut for the average wage earner - NZ$20 a week - 
which he criticized as too small to offset rising living costs. He 
called the cuts too little even to buy the average Kiwi family one 
more block of cheese every week. 
 
¶10. (U)  Key resisted calls by Labour to make known the exact size 
of National's own tax cut program.  He did state that tax cuts are a 
top priority for National and that it would "reprioritize" 
government spending, without providing more details about which of 
Labour's policies it would discard.  Key acknowledged that National 
will need to present its own budgetary vision before it faces 
credibility issues of its own.  Key said he would probably wait 
 
WELLINGTON 00000168  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
until the start of the election campaign before unveiling its own 
economic package.  Despite its criticism, National voted in support 
of the Budget as it passed in an urgency session in Parliament on 
May 23.  National agreed that a vote against any sort of fiscal 
relief for voters at this time would be politically damaging. 
 
COMMENT: Budget Still Not A Vote Winner 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU)  The 2008 Budget was uniformly regarded by media political 
analysts as a bold budget of its sort, particularly for the 
traditionally parsimonious Cullen. It will not, however, be a 
sufficient spark to reignite Labour's flagging political fortunes. 
(Note:  The May 17 Fairfax Media poll showed National had a 27-point 
lead over Labour.  End Note).  Now that Labour have shown its 
budgetary cards, they will try to pressure Key to state clearly not 
only the scale of any tax cuts National will make but also, and most 
critically, how they will be paid for. Key will delay responding as 
long as possible, knowing that the longer National stays silent, the 
longer the media and voters will focus on Labour's shortcomings. 
End Comment. 
 
MCCORMICK