Ivor Popovich

Labour wants a truck driver in Pakuranga, a builder in Howick, and a tradie in Bucklands Beach to help pay off the student loans of lawyers and other high earners. Let that sink in for a moment. Hardworking Kiwis footing the bill so that some of the highest earners in the country can pay off their degrees faster. Students who borrow from taxpayers should be expected to pay it back. That's only fair on the millions of Kiwis who graft, pay their taxes and never ask for a handout. We already have one of the most generous student support schemes in the western world. Apparently that's still not enough for Labour, who reckon a few hundred million more won't hurt. Classic Labour. Add it to the tab. They've already racked up more than $18 billion in unfunded spending promises, and the gap between what they've promised and what they can actually pay for keeps growing. National is taking a smarter, fairer path. We want to help graduates get ahead by reducing the compulsory student loan repayment rate from 12% to 10%. Graduates keep more of what they earn while still paying back what they borrowed. No gimmicks, no shifting the burden onto everyone else, just a fairer deal for people who did the right thing and took out a loan in good faith. Because here's the truth Labour won't say out loud. There's no such thing as free money. Someone always pays, and too often it's the tradie in East Auckland. I'd rather focus on growing our economy, creating good jobs, backing our farmers, tradies, workers and small businesses, and giving people a real shot at getting ahead through hard work and ambition. That's the real choice this election. Reward effort, or reward everyone else picking up the tab. Party Vote National 🩵