National won’t commit to cuts

National won’t say whether it would scrap or cancel any of the Government’s $1.44 billion pre-Budget announcements, saying it needs to see them in the context of the full Budget.

Meanwhile, both ACT and the Māori Party were happy to say there was some spending they would remove if elected.

National has been critical of the Government’s operating allowance for today’s Budget, saying Finance Minister Grant Robertson is ‘‘addicted to spending’’ and will add to inflation by spending more.

‘‘This Government has developed a culture that is far too tolerant of wasteful spending and lack of delivery,’’ National finance spokeswoman Nicola Willis said in a recent speech.

‘‘As Kiwis grapple with high inflation and an escalating cost of living crisis, now more than ever is the time to restore fiscal discipline’’

But Willis and National have been less clear on what spending it would actually want to cut if elected, instead proposing a $2.9b tax cut – which Labour says would need service cuts to pay for.

The Government’s pre-Budget announcements span the gamut, from a $633 million law and order package to $15m for youth development.

Asked directly if she wanted to cut any of that spending, Willis said the packages would have to be assessed as part of the entire Budget.

‘‘Government spending should always be focused on the outcomes that the spending delivers, not on the spending itself,’’ she said.

ACT leader David Seymour said he could see the utility of some of the spending – such as the boost to driver licence training – but would cancel other initiatives.

‘‘We would keep spending on truancy and driver licencing because they leverage better outcomes; $1350 could be money well spent if it stops a vulnerable person getting a conviction and heading down a path of crime,’’ Seymour said.

‘‘On the other hand, the Youth Development investment reeks of platitudes and tokenism with no clear or measurable outcomes like keeping kids in school.

‘‘The tech sector investment similarly has no measurable outcomes

Nicola Willis National finance spokeswoman

and amounts to tech-washing the Government.’’

Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi said his party would cancel the $633m in law and order spending.

‘‘We would cancel the law and order funding and reinvest in crime prevention through Kaupapa Māori philosophy, like Whanau Ora, rather than in more police to kill our people. Inequality and disconnection is what drives crime and causes rangatahi to join gangs,’’ Waititi said.

‘‘You can’t police a country out of poverty.’’

He said the party would extend the Government’s pre-Budget commitments in mental health and preventing domestic violence, spending more.

The Budget will be published at 2pm today.

‘‘Now more than ever is the time to restore fiscal discipline.’’