Destiny NZ wants tax breaks for stay-together marriages

Christian political party Destiny New Zealand Party wants to bring in tax credits for couples who reach five yearly milestones of marriage.

Leader Richard Lewis said the tax credits would be given to couples when they reached their 5th anniversary and every five years from then on.

"It would reward marriages that have stayed together for the benefit of children and for the strength of the family unit," he said.

Mr Lewis said the party's main economic policy for families was lower taxes to keep more money in the household, but the party had not decided on the level taxation would be set at.

Mr Lewis said if the party made it into Parliament it would seek to repeal legislation, such as the Civil Union Act, which it believed was anti-marriage.

In September last year the party, which is opposed to same-sex marriage and homosexuality, said it would stand a candidate against Labour's Tim Barnett in a bid to oust the gay Christchurch Central MP from Parliament.

At the time Mr Lewis said he was determined to see Mr Barnett, who championed the Civil Union Bill, ousted from Parliament at this year's election.

The party will also oppose the member's bill of transsexual Labour MP Georgina Beyer titled the Human Rights (Gender Identity) Amendment member's Bill.

The party has gone as far as to create a definition of what it believes constitutes a family.

Destiny New Zealand says a family is defined as:

* A legally married husband (man born a male) and wife (woman born a female) - and their children (and/or legally adopted children) - to at least the fourth generation.

* A unit built on unconditional love, commitment, honour, acceptance and support.