Winston Peters unveiled part of his economic prescription yesterday, seeking a rise in the minimum wage and calling National's "tax cuts for the rich" untenable.
New Zealand First is a potential kingmaker for Labour or National post-election and the party National is most likely to need to try to forma government.
Mr Peters' stance made it beyond doubt that he would demand smaller tax cuts should he enter talks with National.
National leader Don Brash has previously labelled the tax cuts plan a "bottom line" for his party.
But he refused to give the same commitment yesterday, saying through a spokesman that the party had presented its case to the electorate and would discuss it with like-minded parties after the election, not through the media.
Mr Peters, who was equally critical of Labour's "overtaxation", said both parties' policies were centred on a low-wage economy.
Too many New Zealanders were earning just $10 an hour.
A "top priority" for NZ First would be to raise the minimum wage from $9.50 an hour to $12 - putting $80 a week into low-wage pockets.
The party would also lower the corporate tax rate from 33c to 30c - a move National is deferring - and remove GST from petrol at a cost of just under $600 million a year.
This would save drivers about $9 every time they filled up their tanks.
Mr Peters plans to release the second part of his economic policy, centred on providing incentives for export growth, on Thursday.
