KEY POINTS:
The first billboard of National's election campaign has been unveiled in Auckland by party leader John Key.
The bright blue advert says "Wave goodbye to higher taxes, not your loved ones" in bold letters, with "choose a brighter future, party vote National" below it
The same billboard is going up in Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton and Tauranga.
Mr Key said the campaign was to highlight that National promised to build on Labour's tax cuts and deliver another round in April 2009 and April 2010.
"The billboard also highlights Labour's failure to stem the tide of people voting with their feet and leaving New Zealand," he said.
Finance Minister Michael Cullen said it appeared from the comment that Mr Key was just looking to bring forward and re-order the Government's three stage $10.6 billion tax cut programme.
Labour was planning cuts in 2010 and 2011 and National was not talking about what would in happen in 2011, Dr Cullen said.
Mr Key's spokesman said Dr Cullen was talking nonsense and more details of National's tax cut programme would be announced in the first week of the formal election campaign.
The opening shots of the election campaign are being fired even though the election date has not yet been announced.
This Parliament will expire on October 6 and an election must be held by November 15.
Dissolving Parliament before that time and setting the election date is entirely the choice of Prime Minister Helen Clark.
Most people are picking November 8 as the most likely election date, though some in National are still convinced it will be held as early as October 18.
- NZPA
