Monday, September 24, 2018

Benefits are too low?

The Child Poverty Action Group said today that core benefits need to rise by 20 percent (doubtlessly timed to guilt-trip JA telling America she wants NZ to be the best place in the world to raise children.)

Below are two slides from my recent presentation to the 2018 ACT conference. I was at pains to point out that these are not 'apples with apples' comparisons but intended to provide context for the claim that benefits are too low.


NB. The second slide is taken from Statistics NZ. In Auckland the median rises to $1,010 weekly.

I use these slides not to argue that benefits should be cut but to explain why single parents default to and get trapped on them, along with their children.

3 comments:

Don W said...

It seems that being a beneficiary is now a serious and quite lucrative career option. You don't need any qualifications or skills you don't have to work hard , if at all, and 100% of your time is your own. Whats not to like . sigh

Anonymous said...

In the waged example govt transfers are stated as $337.

But they actually get more if they had the same number of kids and same rent (assumes cash assets under the limit).

Lindsay Mitchell said...

The Stats NZ $337 is the median of all govt transfers and as such largely represents what superannuitants receive weekly.