Finance Bill

"Finance Minister Bill English is softening the public up for a wafer-thin surplus in 2014-15 as worsening forecasts put the Government's key election promise under threat."

Not a great lead-in to where we're heading under Bill's management, is it. Vernon Small gives little quarter in his piece, titled: "Even 2015 surplus looks shaky"


English has his say though, "We're not going to have a big surplus.; if we can get to near surplus, somewhere around there, I think it will still be an achievement."

Good grief!

Seems the $370 million surplus forecast in the February budget, was a mirage. Didn't stop Bill from broadcasting it though. Now, it seems, we'll be looking at a $640 million deficit. "I think it will still be an achievement", says Bill, bravely.

Labour's David Parker's not so chirpy. He reminds us of what happened the last time English presented a zero budget like the one we are to expect this time around,
"A zero budget is what you get when you fail"
"We know what happened in the aftermath of the last 'zero Budget': there were two credit downgrades  and a greater-than-anticipated increase in debt."

But Bill maintains that it will still be an achievement.