Your views, September 6

Winston's comments are unnecessary and somewhat disappointing. There are bigger issues to be debated than these.
- Kent Peters

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Absolutely not! There no way in hell National can afford to give $10 Billion tax cuts in 3 years and not cut services and not borrow. It simple doesn't make sense. Do the maths most the money has been allocated and the government cannot create money so National will cut services and borrow. Let's not go there again.
- Marwan Juma

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National can achieve the tax cuts, They will cut waste such as the gender change operation on a 73 year old and not fund gender change operations out of public funding. How come Michael Cullen can find all the money after the budget when he said there was none available? When confronted he has blamed treasury - if Cullen has no idea of what is happening in treasury he should be sacked, if he did he should resign for lying.
- Richard Buisson

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National will cut core services and borrow heavily all to buy the NZ vote. They will destroy the good work of the Labour govt in making healthcare more affordable and hurt key areas in education and policing. Worst of all they will put this country back in debt will little regard for interest rates and the next generation that will foot the bill.
- Anonymous

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Yes, National can afford to make tax cuts while keeping services the same. There is a $7 billion dollar surplus! Does anyone know what the word surplus means? Money that is over and above the amount needed to pay for government projects and services. National are in fact committing to spending more money on government services, just not as much as what Labour intends to spend. The difference is $700 million. When will the Labour government stop treating New Zealanders as blind fools? Any inference to say that they cannot afford this is scaremongering by a desperate Labour party, or just incompetence by the current finance minister. Cullen is either happy to lie to the public and misrepresent the truth, or he is incompentent at his job and does not know how to manage money.
- Sam

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Have we got hospital waiting lists? Yes.
Are our roads and transport adequate? No.
Is education where it should be? No.
Is petrol an essential service? Of course.
Only governments will provide these services from our taxes without the ever present profit motive. When Brash was governor of the Reserve Bank we had the highest morgage rates in the OECD and we still have. When he wants to borrow from his mates to cut taxes those interest rates will sky rocket even more. No wonder he takes advice from the loan sharks of the Round Table
- E van den Bergen

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Once again Cullen is trying to "think" for the NZ voters. He had an opportunity to speak with his own Budget but preferred to use "surplus" as an election ball. National are just kicking the ball back. To be honest, I do not care where National get the money from as long as they do not cut education, health and the police. As for Cullen, being arrogant will catch up with you at some stage, hopefully it is sooner rather than later.
- Share

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Having lived overseas for many years in several different countries, I am indeed amused by what is called a traffic problem here in Auckland. Likewise, I am breathtakingly underwhelmed by the efficiency of the public transportation system in comparison to so many larger and more crowded cities where the limits of roading solutions are only too evident. Because of this I naturally share Donna Wynd's underlying view that there really doesn't exist an objective need to invest large amounts of money to carry out so many major roading projects in Auckland and that instead we use the money to bring Auckland's public transportation system into the late twentieth century. But she packages her arguments in sophomoric, class-envy rhetoric and this only weakens her stance among those who may not share her narrow, inflexible view of life.
- Robert Sanders

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I think we New Zealanders (not Pakeha) do resent the Maori seats - there, Laila Harre, you have heard it now. And I think Laila misunderstands the numbers. The fact that Maori are on the General Roll means much more representation as fewer voters can be on Maori Roll and control the 7 seats (5.83% of parliment). Maori can then transfer votes to the General Roll to increase representation above the minimum 5.83% floor they have set. An unfair advantage in my mind and the part the Non-Maori New Zealanders resent.
- B Stewart

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