Jobs and Services to go under National

National's huge tax cuts would end up in cuts to essential services. Their claim to the contrary is not credible, Carol Beaumont, CTU secretary said today.The cuts, aimed mainly at those on high incomes, would cost nearly $4 billion a year.

This figure pays for over 6,400 teachers, nurses, doctors, social workers and police.

That is:
? 1,990 primary school teachers
? 1,575 secondary teachers
? 618 police
? 1,687 nurses
? 446 doctors
? 97 social workers

"How can you take the pay packets of 6,400 vital state sector workers out of government revenue and say that you would not cut public services? It doesn't add up," Carol Beaumont said.

"At the very least this means that the additional jobs required in health, education and other public services, as the population rises, would not be there under National. A more likely scenario would be actual cuts in staff."