Source: Taxpayers Union
Taxpayer Victory: “Unite for the Recovery” branding will not be used during election
23 JULY 2020FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union welcomes the Auditor-General’s confirmation that the Government will not be using “Unite for the Recovery” branding during the election period.The Auditor-General investigated the campaign in response to a complaint made by the Union, and has reported: “the Government does not intend to use the Unite for the Recovery messages prior to the election, and will focus on the Unite Against COVID-19 public health messages.”Union spokesman Jordan Williams says, “When the Government initially suspended its ‘Unite for the Recovery’ campaign, it said the decision was in light of the new COVID-19 cases at the border. Now they’re saying they’ll shelve the campaign until at least after the election.”“That’s good news for taxpayers. We shouldn’t be forced to fund a campaign that basically doubles as a re-election slogan for the Labour Party – least of all during the critical election period.”“We can’t help but wonder if the Government was intentionally testing the boundaries with its propaganda campaign, figuring out what it could get away with. Fortunately, backlash from taxpayers and scrutiny from the Auditor-General has put this PR offensive on the backburner.”
