The New Zealand Labour Party has announced that it will be launching a cross-country bus tour in protest to the National Party’s proposed Good and Service Tax rate increase.

Phil Goff, Labour Party leader, announced on February 22nd that a two week protest bus-tour will be launched on February 28th to fight the possibility of a the GST rate being raised to 15 percent. He claimed that the tour’s aim was to visit New Zealand communities and “to show them just how unfair John Key’s plans to hike GST are.” The protest plan also includes several visits to local community groups like Grey Power, Citizen’s Advice Bureau, and any local budgeting services.

While introducing his protest-bus idea, Phil Goff claimed that the National Party had not campaigned with the promise that it would raise GST, and the “…Labour [Party] is going to campaign against it.” He went on to say that a GST increase is unfair and would hurt middle and low income earners across the country, while not delivering for families.

Opposition party members have already commented on the proposed bus tour, noting that while Phil Goff is protesting the GST rise he has not yet stated that his party would lower it if it came to power in the next election. New Zealand Prime Minister has stated that he is not concerned with the tour, and believes that most New Zealanders are reserving their opinions on the increase until they see the entire tax reform package in May.

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