Come hell or highwater

Deputy leader Bill English was recorded telling National Party delegates: "Winning is fantastic. Nothing beats winning in politics, despite all our highly principled statements. It's fantastic ... do what we need to do to win."

And despite English saying he is not embarrassed by the recording and John Key saying the release to TV3 was "pathetic", it doesn't look good does it?

The pressure was always on following National's announcement that they would give kiwis a $50 dollar a week tax cut if elected to power.

And despite the world's economies crumbling National needed to keep their promise, or as close to it as possible, considering that tax cuts were meant to be their trump card.

So when Michael Cullen opened the Treasury's books on Monday only to show a deficit the rope suddenly tightened around Key's neck.

I mean Key probably already expected the books were going to be in a bad state considering the economy and the recent government acquisitions but I am not sure if he would have predicted that the situation was this dire.

I mean who would - they are after all predicting a decade with of government defecits and perhaps Cullen needs to do a bit of explaining. But still this National party seems to have a win at all costs mentality and well with the pressure mounting Key and English had to deliver on Wednesday when they announced the party's tax package.

It was better than I expected: provided you were a single person or a couple not contributing to Kiwisaver or receiving Working For Families or a high income earner.

So i guess middle income New Zealand with no kids who are not yet thinking about their retirement are the winners at the end of National's day. But oh well they delivered their much promised tax cuts (sort of) didn't they?

But to be fair National had a bit of a dog to work with and considering that they did alright, i guess. But then isn't that what Helen Clark called National's tax package?

So where does all leave us?

Who knows because all it seems to prove to me is Key and English really are willing to sell their souls to win this election and well who could blame them it has been nine years in the wilderness.
But what did surprise me was the media's coverage of the announcement. By Monday night Key was being hailed as some sort of genius because he could afford to give tax cuts even in a tight situation. Nobody seemed to be asking where the money was coming from until the next day.

In accounting these sorts of things have a direct relationship - a push/pull sort of a relationship, if money is going some where it must, obviously, be coming from somewhere else. The question should have been where is that somewhere?

Finally by Tuesday morning the media were starting to click and began to think about answering that question.

It then became obvious that the people that would suffer the most from this package are our low income families who are considerate enough to be thinking about their future by contributing to Kiwisaver.

And aren't these the people that Key says he wants to help the most, remember the wee girl Aroha from Otara who he took to Waitangi last year?

Also wouldn't you be a little peeved if you are the big income earner or business who really gets nothing from this tax package considering National are meant to be your guys. (Although it is a little hard to feel sorry for those who are on a six figure salary that they won't get a few extra pennies in their pockets come next April).

So now it is time to ask the BIG question: Does this promised tax package really deliver - enough to give your vote to Key and National?

Despite all the hype and the much touted polls I think only time will tell, and hopefully we will all know by 9 November but what concerns me is that the Kiwisaver will be seriously undermined if National gets into power.

I am not a Kiwisaver member as I am yet to find employment (although I hope that shall be remedied by this afternoon) but I like the idea that people are not only being encouraged to save for their retirement but they able to do it with the help of the government and their employers.

We are a progressively ageing population with the beginning of the baby boomers generation starting to retire and I am not sure our welfare system can take it if each of us don't at very least start taking some responsibility for our old age and retirement.

I guess now it is a decision between the lesser of two evils.