Like, it’s great that this line of income exists for ministers/prime ministers that genuinely need it to be able to live in Wellington. For example if an average New Zealander got into parliament.
However the hipocrisy from this man is unreal. This is using the electric car rebate but critising the hell out of it and scrapping it as soon as he could, but on a whole other level.
If housing is an issue in Wellington (it is) actively work on fixing it as opposed to providing crazy subsidies to ministers.
Luxon mentions people on the benefit needing a crackdown as there are people living on taxpaplyer money who shouldn’t, what the fuck is he doing claiming all of these extras?
Time to bring in means testing for the benefits our ministers can access.
Luxon on why National needed to abolish the free prescriptions…
“I think if I can pay, I should pay”
Apparently all of his property is held mortgage free as well, so all his cost is on that apartment is upkeep and rates.
New Zealand’s most prominent Christian being dodgy and greedy, again.
The fucking gall of New Zealand’s most prominent Christian…
“For me, I’m well within the rights, and well within the rules, but frankly it’s a distraction- I will live on my own costs,” Luxon told du Plessis-Allan.
You get paid $470k a year, you already own 7 properties with a portfolio worth $19m. You told everybody else, including people far poorer than you that you believe if you can afford to pay, you should pay. Pay the fucking bill mate & get off your high horse.
This just furthers my view that there should be a big apartment building to house all MPs in Wellington, and if you want to live somewhere else you can fund it yourself.
It seems like a huge conflict of interest that MPs are effectively subsidised to buy second properties, given the role that plays in our housing crisis.
Of course Luxon claiming $50k on top of his already high salary, on an apartment he already owns mortgage free, when there is a residence available is particularly egregious. Especially when contrasted with his statements about the fragile economy, not ‘treating taxpayers like an ATM’, and declaring an end to so called ‘free rides’ by beneficiaries.
Kinda want Jacinda to drop a photo dump showing how “bad” that Premier House apartment really is. Can’t be too bad if she coped there with a kid some of the time.
This editorial from Madelaine Chapman is top drawer
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/01-03-2024/the-rich-stay-rich-by-pretending-to-be-poor
Can I somehow bill him for this?
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They’re paying him for the opportunity cost, that apartment could be either rented out, or sold and the money invested elsewhere. Whether he lives in a property he owns, or one that’s rented, the cost to the taxpayer is the same.
But he could live in Premier House, which will have to be upkept anyway, and not take the allowance.
It sounds like Premier house needs some quite serious maintenance work, that would make it very difficult to actually live in while the work is being done.
The issue isn’t that, it’s that other previous PMs who lived in their own residences in Wellington did not receive the payment. Chris Hipkins for example.
Given the retoric from the PM about belt tightening and benefit bashing, and given he owns the apartment outright with no mortgage, the optics are pretty poor.
Also he just announced he is paying it back, btw.
Hipkins has his primary residence in the Hutt Valley though, Luxon lives in Auckland
Ah yes, good point. I stand by my general point though, that it’s bad optics given all he’s being harping on about lately.
No argument about that, he walked right into this one with his mouth open.
