ACT understands that Kiwis want a fair go and want to be rewarded for their hard work.

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Many Kiwis of Indian origin who I have met in the past few weeks as part of ACT’s Honest Conversations tour feel that this Labour Government is punishing them while rewarding other people for doing nothing.

With our recent policy announcements on the economy and immigration ACT, is seeking to correct the balance which is currently tipped in the wrong direction. ACT’s economic policies reward people who keep the New Zealand economy going.

People of Indian origin contributed $10 billion to the New Zealand economy in 2019. ACT aims to reward their contributions rather than of those who do nothing. That’s why we announced:

• Private MIQ, a safer system to bring back the workers we desperately need

• Dumping Labour’s ‘immigration reset,’ resuming pre-COVID immigration settings and unfreezing the Expression of Interest for residency

•  Tackling the Zero Carbon ACT, Health and Safety at Work ACT, Resource Management ACT and the Employment Relations ACT.

This is all in addition to our Alternative Budget that would reduce Government debt and cut taxes from the 30 percent marginal tax rate to 17.5 percent and reverse the 39 percent tax rate. At the same time we’d reduce Government debt, all while keeping the essential services New Zealanders rely on.

Under ACT’s plan the average earner would get between $1286 and $2107 in their pocket a year from tax cuts.

ACT is listening to restaurant owners like Sid Sherawat who’s told us how desperately he needs staff but is struggling to employ people. We would dump Labour’s ‘once in a generation’ immigration reset.  Immigration reform may be needed in the future, but right now we need certainty. ACT would signal a return to the pre-COVID immigration settings as soon as public health concerns allow.

The blind ideology of this Labour Government is hurting families and business owners.

Labour politicians seem to believe that if they keep the borders closed it will drive up wages and get more Kiwis into work. It doesn’t work that way and, in the meantime, businesses are going to the wall, fruit has been left to rot on the ground, trees are unpruned, and families are separated.

ACT would speed up residency for highly skilled persons by unfreezing the EOI queue immediately, and by resuming applications for those offshore.

New Zealanders need certainty from their Government. Businesses, farmers, and growers needs to bring in the skills to grow, or in some cases even continue. Families should be together.

Our commitment to giving business and our agriculture sector the certainty over skills shortages by returning to pre-COVID immigration settings when the public health condition allows for it. – David Seymour, ACT party leader