This week's budget has confirmed fears about New Zealand's slipping standard of living, says National Party leader Don Brash.
Monday, May 31st 2004, 8:00AM
by The Landlord
He said in Nelson on Friday that there was no sign of living standards improving in comparison with other developed countries, as the Government had promised when it came to power in 1999.
"In my view the most worrying thing was not what the budget did, but what it said," he said.
Dr Brash was speaking to about 300 people at the Nelson Grey Power Association annual meeting at the Trafalgar Centre.
He said he had decided to enter politics two years ago because he was concerned about the slide in New Zealand's living standards against other countries such as Australia. New Zealand was "well down the totem pole" of developed countries, he said.
But according to treasury forecasts in the budget, the economy was set to grow more slowly over the next 10 years than it had in the past 10 years, he said.
