NZ First’s $45,000 baby bonus unlikely to boost birth rates, analysis suggests
NZ First's new Kiwi Kids grant offering $5,000 annually per child is unlikely to significantly increase births based on international evidence, though it would cost substantially more than claimed.
NZ First has announced a pro-natalist policy offering tax-free payments of $5,000 per year for each of the first three years of a child's life, up to three children, with no income test but requiring at least one parent to be a citizen. Analysis suggests the policy would cost around $642 million annually by year three, exceeding the party's stated $400 million estimate. International experience from countries like Australia and Hungary shows such cash incentives mainly shift when people have children rather than increasing overall birth rates, with costs per additional birth running into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some argue the same funding would be better spent addressing child poverty, with 169,000 children currently in material hardship.
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Stuff
Analysis: Winston’s $45k baby bonus may not really about babies
New Zealand First’s Kiwi Kids grant is an anti-immigration policy dressed up as a baby bonus, writes Jenna Lynch
The Spinoff
NZ First’s baby bonus? It’s been tried
In a bid to halt our falling birth rate, NZ First has announced a policy of cash incentives for having kids. How much would it cost, who would it benefit and has it worked in other countries? Shamubeel Eaqub takes…
interest.co.nz
NZ First’s baby bribe
The 'pro-natal' policies Winston Peters announced over the weekend have been tried in a great many countries. They do not work