An Income Guarantee and fair tax system
The Green Party will guarantee a decent income for all - and we’ll pay for it with a fair tax system.
No matter what we do or where we live, everyone should have enough to put food on the table, a safe place to call home, and live a good life.
Aotearoa is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. But right now, thousands of children are going to bed hungry. Families are struggling to pay the rent or mortgage and keep their homes warm. Students are forced to skip meals to make ends meet.
The money we need to lift every family out of poverty is already there. But successive governments have decided not to use it. This is a political choice.
The Green Party will introduce an Income Guarantee to give everyone peace of mind that we can afford the weekly shop, pay the rent, or cover unexpected costs.
The Income Guarantee includes universal support for students and people out of work, extra help if you’re sick or disabled, and simple payments for families so all kids can thrive.
The time is now to lift every family out of poverty, while rewriting the tax rules so those who can contribute more, while those on the lowest incomes pay less.
Our Plan
- Reform the Social Security Act to uphold the dignity of those who need support, and ensure everyone has a secure income, and decent standard of living whether in or out of work.
- Transform Working for Families by creating a Family Tax Credit of $215 a week for the first child and $135 a week for subsequent children.
- End poverty through a base payment of $385 a week for everyone out of work, and an $135 a week top up for sole parents. This will replace Jobseeker, the Student Allowance, and Sole Parent Support - with full individualisation; and universal eligibility for students.
- Ensure income tax settings are fair and progressive, including making the first $10,000 tax-free.
- Provide payments of at least 80 percent of the fulltime minimum wage to anyone limited in their capacity to work due to a disability or health condition.
- Introduce a 2.5 percent tax on net wealth over $2 million so that multi-millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share.
- Overhaul recoverable assistance so that grants are available as an alternative for urgent needs. This will prevent people going into debt when they are seeking help; and work towards writing off existing debt to MSD.