Budget 2008: Spending

Written By: - Date published: 2:58 pm, May 22nd, 2008 - 8 comments
Categories: budget 2008, election 2008 - Tags:

The tax cuts are the cornerstone of this budget but there is also important new spending.

New Spending in the Budget:

  • $172.3 million for improving DHB efficiency
  • $2 billion for DHBS
  • $164.2 million for HPV immunisation
  • $160 million for more elective surgery
  • $60 million to improve the health workforce
  • $79 million for child and youth oral health
  • $30 million for healthy housing
  • $446.5 million for community and volunteer organisations
  • $215.5 to reduce class sizes
  • $63.6 million for early childhood education
  • $1.8 billion for teachers’ wages
  • $266.1 million for schools operations
  • $189.5 million for more Police
  • $251.9 million for Mt Eden prison
  • $91.7 million for probation officers
  • $4.7 million for the Police Conduct Authority
  • $17.2 million for Maori Wardens
  • $220 million for social housing
  • $35 million for shared equity housing scheme
  • $42.9 million for Hobsonville Housing project (expected to make a profit)
  • $72 million for SuperGold card benefits
  • $6.7 million for pension portability.
  • $700 million for the NZ Fast Forward Fund
  • $205.4 million to other research and development initiatives
  • $168 million to lift literacy, language, and numeracy skills of works to increase productivity
  • $591 million for tertiary education operating costs
  • $15.5 for capital investment in universities and polytechnics
  • $155.2 million for student allowances and other support
  • $340 million for broadband investment (part of a wider $500 million broadband package)
  • $690 million for purchase of railway operations
  • $93 million for upgrades to rail stock and tracks
  • $15 million for aviation safety and security
  • $33.5 million for Canterbury Transport Regional Plan
  • $30 million for regional transport in Northland and Tairawhiti
  • $155 million for export support
  • $26.6 million for 2010 Shanghai Expo
  • $25.7 million for energy efficiency and insulating homes
  • $72.1 million for the Rotorua lakes clean-up
  • $43 million for the Emissions Trading Scheme
  • $164.6 million for Eden Park upgrade
  • $23.3 million for biosecurity
  • $7 million for Mataatua Whare
  • $12 million for Te Papa
  • $7.7 million for the Historic Places Trust
  • $5.3 million for Office of Treaty Settlements
  • $23.8 million for Maori Trustee
  • $7 million for Wharewaka
  • $4.4 million for NZSO
  • $27.8 million for Screen Production Fund
  • $9 million for the racing industry
  • $276.4 million for the Defence Forces
  • $198.1 million for Foreign Affairs and trade negotiations
  • $960,000 for Antarctic research
  • $13 million for DoC
  • $5.3 million for pest control
  • $5.6 million for oceanic research

Our society depends on continued investment in the social wages, these social services that make all our lives better and which we fund through our taxes. No doubt, National and the Herald will say it’s all pork.

8 comments on “Budget 2008: Spending ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Aj 1
    22 May 2008 at 3:52 pm

    A pork-free budget.

  2. Stephen 2
    22 May 2008 at 5:32 pm

    So what would National cut to enable slightly bigger tax cuts I wonder…?

  3. sweeetd 3
    22 May 2008 at 6:30 pm

    Why does Te Papa get 12 mil?

  4. Robinsod 4
    22 May 2008 at 7:42 pm

    Because it is direly underfunded. I’m hoping a good deal of that extra cash goes as wages.

  5. barnsleybill 5
    23 May 2008 at 12:02 am

    That is an enormous list and most of it is not what any unbiased person would call an investment in social wages.
    What we have here is 1990 all over again. An outgoing labour government is deliberately emptying the coffers just in time for national to inherit an unholy mess.

  6. Matthew Pilott 6
    23 May 2008 at 10:55 am

    barnsleybill, I take it this is the first time you’ve seen the actual spending in a budget, as opposed to what the media tells you about.

    Strikes me as odd.

  7. Richard Hurst 7
    24 May 2008 at 11:28 am

    It will be very interesting to see just what the ANZ report on govt spending and bureaucracy has to say. I’m happy with funding teachers, police, GP’s, Nurse’s and adult education etc, not very happy at all with corporate welfare such as $36 million subsidies for the shipping industry, subsidizing state rail to compete with private trucking firms to put them out of business to join the unemployment lines and definitely not happy with such a large growth in the public service over the last 9 years when the general population hasn’t actually increased that much to justify it. Depends of course on what is counted as a ‘frontline’ person and who isn’t and whether that’s justified.
    As an example since frontline police numbers have increased extra admin staff are required.

    A guiding philosophical principle for any govt should be to take the least amount of money necessary via tax and spend as effectively as possible. Trouble is so many seem to want the ‘guvmunt’ to do everything and yet complain when their presented with the tax bill to pay for it.

    A pity the ANZ haven’t released the report yet. Officially they’ve said it was to avoid making Cullen’s budget look bad or draw attention away from it. Unofficially…release it closer to the election? Well, the intention is clear.

Links to post

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.