March 19, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
The prime minister of New Zealand has stirred up a bit of controversy this week by encouraging people in his country to donate the money they will have thanks to recent tax cuts his administration enacted.
Speaking to a conference on philanthropy, the prime minister, John Key, said that those who do not need the extra money should give it to charity to help develop a culture of giving similar to the one in America, reports The New Zealand Herald.
Mr. Key, who is member of one of the country’s conservative parties, was chastised by left-leaning politicians.
The Labor Party leader said that the tax cuts favor the wealthy and instead of asking well-off people to donate some of their extra money, the prime minister should have geared tax benefits to aid low-income workers.
Victor Billot, a spokesman for the liberal Alliance Party, said that while charities play an important role in New Zealand society, America’s reliance on them has led to an ineffective federal government, which was on display in its response to Hurricane Katrina.
“What you saw then is the reality of a government that has abandoned its responsibility for ensuring the safety and security of its own people. The individual generosity of the American people could in no way make up for this terrible political failure,” he said on the party’s Web site.
