Tim Dower: More of us owe money to the Crown, expect it to be written off

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge · Oct 7, 2021 · 1m

Here's something to look out for in the next few months, or perhaps on the last day of Parliament before Christmas.

Today's Herald reports there's about four billion dollars in debt on the Government's books.

This is money owed by New Zealanders to the Crown, for a whole bunch of different reasons.

About half of it is due to MSD, the Ministry of Social Development, that comes down to overpaid benefits essentially.

Bottom line, about four billion, which is owed by the least well-off people in the country, people in no realistic position to ever pay it back.

Now, cast your mind back to the…