David Farrar: The Greens $800 million blunder

Radio NZ reports:

The Green Party has had to correct an error to its tax policy, which had put its costings out by $800 million.

The mistake involved extra funding for Inland Revenue being calculated as a revenue measure, rather than a cost.

The party then quietly re-uploaded the policy document with the correct figures after RNZ made enquiries.

It then released a press release saying there was a “typo” just after 12pm.

It wasn’t a typo. A typo is when you type in the wrong thing.

It was a fundamental error where they treated an expense and revenue. They stuck the $400 million in the wrong part of the spreadsheet, used it incorrectly in calculations and based a fiscal impact on it which was out by $800 million.

David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders