Reference: 20240344
10 June 2024
Matthew Hooton
[FYI request #26712 email]
Dear Mat hew
Thank you for your Of icial Information Act request, received on 10 May 2024. You
requested the following:
1.
Under the Official Information Act, I request all advice to ministers or their
staff prepared since the formation of the Coalition Government on the probable
inflationary effects of personal-tax cuts (defined broadly to include increased
Working for Families tax credits, adjustments to income-tax thresholds and other
matters mentioned in the National Party tax policy for the 2023 election referred
to in the National-Act and National-NZ First Coalition agreements), compared
with reducing the operating, OBEGAL and/or core Crown residual cash deficits by
the same amount as the fiscal impact of any personal-tax cuts.
2.
I understand from the Minister of Finance's recent speech that advice is
being prepared on the probable inflationary effects of personal-tax cuts compared
with maintaining or increasing core Crown expenses by the same amount as the
fiscal impact of any personal-tax cuts. Please do not confuse my request with that
quite different work.
3.
Nevertheless, it seems to me that, in the interests of increasing
progressively the availability of official information to the people of New Zealand
in order to enable their more effective participation in the making and
administration of laws and policies and to promote the accountability of Ministers
of the Crown and officials, and thereby to enhance respect for the law and to
promote the good government of New Zealand, it would be highly desirable for
the information I have requested in 1 above not to be publicly released any later
that the information referred to in 2 above. In practice, I suspect that means it
should be released on or before Budget Day.
4.
Thank you in anticipation of your prompt and professional response to this
request as soon as reasonably practicable as required by law.
Subsequent to the initial request, you asked to receive the requested information by 29
May 2024. I have determined that this response by the statutory deadline is
appropriate, given the Budget-sensitive nature of the relevant document and that the
relevant document is scheduled to be proactively released.
1 The Terrace
PO Box 3724
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
tel. +64-4-472-2733
https://treasury.govt.nz
The following information is covered by your request and wil be proactively released
on the Treasury website following the Budget:
Item Date
Document Description
Website Address
1. 4 April 2024 Aide Memoire: inflationary
https://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/other-
impact of PIT package
official-information/information-releases
Accordingly, I have refused your request for the document listed in the above table
under section 18(d) of the OIA, as the information requested is or wil soon be publicly
available.
Please note that this letter (with your personal details removed) and enclosed
documents may be published on the Treasury website.
This reply addresses the information you requested. You have the right to ask the
Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision.
Yours sincerely
Ben Gaukrodger
Manager, Macroeconomic and Fiscal Policy
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