The Green Party has unveiled its Poverty Action Plan, which includes a Guaranteed Minimum Income to ensure people have enough to live with dignity. The scheme resets income support payments to ensure everyone not in full-time paid work gets at least $325 a week. People with kids or disability will receive extra support.

To fund the overhaul, the Green Party is proposing a 1% levy on wealth over $1 million. Those with wealth over $2 million would pay 2%.

The Green Party is also proposing two new high income tax brackets for the highest earners.

Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson while announcing the Plan noted, “COVID-19 has revealed the glaring holes in our social safety net. It’s also presented an opportunity to fix them once and for all, and create truly equal communities where everyone can thrive. This plan creates a fairer Aotearoa, and moves all of us forward together.”

– TIN Bureau

Green’s Poverty Action Plan in numbers

Reset income support payments to ensure everyone not in fulltime paid work, including students, has income of at least $325 a week.

Support sole parents with a top-up of $110, bringing their base payments to $435 per week.

Change abatement and relationship rules so people and their partners can earn more from paid work before their income support entitlements are reduced.

Provide a $100 a week universal payment to families for each child under three, building on the existing Best Start system.

Replace Working for Families tax credits with a single Family Support Credit of $190 per week for the first child and $120 per week for subsequent children, with a higher abatement threshold and lower abatement rate.

Reform ACC into an Agency for Comprehensive Care covering all health-related income support within a single system with guaranteed payments of at least 80% of the fulltime minimum wage.

Introduce a wealth tax for those with a net-worth over $1 million, and introduce top-tier tax brackets for the highest earners.