http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11891306
Co-leader of the Greens Party has admitted to committing benefit fraud. She lied to WINZ about her income, an income she received whilst subletting her flat and studying law. She freely admitted to committing benefit fraud, so why isn’t she being charged? This woman is an absolute disgrace. If she gets away with fraud it sets a dangerous precedent, she basically just said committing fraud against the government is fine and her party wants to support people in doing so. As a hard working, tax paying New Zealander her attitude makes me sick. Turei could of worked when she had a young child but instead she was doing a law degree. No mention of where the baby’s father was, they were living off the taxpayers dime, getting subsidized education, benefits, probably funded childcare whilst earning an income subletting. The fact is, it’s hard being a student. I was a student. Any moment I wasn’t studying I was working. During school holidays it was common for me to do a 12 hour day, I had fees to pay. I lived with my parents so I was lucky I didn’t have rent to pay, but living at home meant I wasn’t entitled to a student benefit. I fail to understand how an 18 year old can live at home and be on the dole, yet an 18 year old who is studying is still the responsibility of their parents if they lived at home. My parents were just above the threshold so I couldn’t get any financial assistance. It did not take into consideration that I was the oldest of four, so my parents had three other dependents to provide for yet someone making just under the threshold and had one kid could get help and my family got none when our expenses were clearly more with four kids. So nothing for me and Turei is getting a benefit which would have been more than a student benefit because she had a child and was earning income on the side subletting – unlikely the landlord knew so exploiting someone else’s asset illegally – whilst studying to be a lawyer? What other dodgy stuff has she done? She came out as a lawyer, I assume, which lead to her being a politician. She earns far more than I do but because my husband earns enough to support us she wants to take more tax off him to pay for others. Again, they ignore that paying for 6 dependent (me and 5 kids) means my husband’s income already has a lot of demands placed on it. He would be taxed the same as someone with no kids, I don’t have an issue with that, we made our choice to pay for our family, what I am complaining about it that we have to pay more despite his income supporting 7 (himself, me and the kids) whereas other who earn less get tax benefits. When we divide his income by 7 we end up worse off than a family with one child on $50k. We are a large family but we can afford our large family – but it will be a struggle if the government keep stealing from us. Happy to pay our way as we get the benefit of free healthcare and free education up to university, but these things both also have payback for society when our children become adults and everyone else gets this too. Our family work hard for our money. We already pay more because there is no income splitting. Income splitting is a fair policy. A family where one parent is earning $150k pays more in tax because of the threshold levels than a family where both parents earn $75k. Seems grossly unfair when if one parent is working and earning a good income then the other parent normally gets stuck doing all the housework and all the child minding, a job you don’t get paid for but a job that means you are contributing as it makes it easier for your partner to do their job. So I see it as very unfair that our family pays more in tax already and this fraudster wants to take even more from us and give to those who could also be commiting benefit fraud as it is clear that the Green Party are happy to turn a blind eye to this crime.
A politician who basically says benefit fraud is okay should not be allowed to be a politician. A politician who has commuted benefit fraud should, like any other fraudster, be charged and if she completed that law degree and is registered as a lawyer would a conviction of fraud mean the she is struck off as a lawyer? The Act party has it right when they say that people should have children when they can afford children. Get your qualification before kids so you can work or study every moment of the day because that’s when you can do this, before kids. Hard – yes, but a right of passage. It’s where most of us started and we made it through the other side. Then once having a qualification work hard, pay down some of the mortgage so you are bringing kids into a stable environment where they have a roof over their heads and food on the table. Poverty breds poverty. If you can’t afford to support yourself, you can’t afford to support a dependent. The solution to poverty is to stop having kids you can’t afford, having kids you can’t afford is child abuse, another crime this country is ignoring. I’m not talking about people who fell on hard times after baby is born, that’s what the safety net is for, but those who are not providing for themselves bringing another person into the world that they do not have the ability to provide for.
Turei needs to be charged. It sends a message that fraud, or crime of any sort, is illegal and will not be tolerated. Don’t let her be an example of how easy it is to get away with fraud but a lesson on what can happen to you when you defraud your country.
Revisionist Media 