Scrap the $5 prescription fee
What it actually does
From 1 July 2027 Labour would remove the $5 prescription co-payment for everyone eligible for free public healthcare. Labour estimates the cost at $74.5 million a year, funded from its capital gains tax revenue ring-fenced for health.
Source: labour.org.nz · 2026-06
The Trump take
“Free medicine for everybody, and who pays? The American drug companies, probably. Always the Americans. Not anymore!”parody
Why it scored this way
Welfare
Universal free benefit regardless of income
-1
Dislikes it
Big government
Extra ongoing state health spending
-1
Dislikes it
On the same topics
Budget 2024 income tax cuts and landlord interest deductibility
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Cut spending and foreign aid back to 2017 levels
ACT's fiscal plan would return non-welfare spending to 2017 levels (adjusted for inflation and growth), cut the annual operating allowance from $2.4b to $2b, reduce foreign aid to 2017 levels (excluding aid to Ukraine) and abolish 'demographic' ministries. ACT says net core Crown debt would be $12.4b lower than forecast; health, education, defence, police and children's services are exempt.
Disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority
A National 100-day plan commitment, the bill to disestablish Te Aka Whai Ora passed under urgency 68-54 in February 2024, with most of its functions and staff moving to Health New Zealand from 30 June 2024.