Finance Minister Steven Joyce is open to linking Working For Families tax credits to inflation, he says.
Finance Minister Steven Joyce Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
New Zealand Super, student allowances and foster care payments are all linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) - but Working for Families tax credits are not.
Finance Minister Steven Joyce told the Council of Social Services Budget Breakfast in Wellington this morning he would be amenable to linking Working For Families payments to the CPI.
The index measures the changing price of a fixed basket of goods and services, and the government adjusts benefit payments once a year to ensure households maintain their purchasing power.
Mr Joyce said he might consider the move while carrying out other work to simplify the Working for Families scheme.
