Nancy’s Column: Parent Boost Visa and the 2024 Budget 陆楠专栏：父母超级签证和2024年预算

I recently received many questions about the Parent Boost Visa policy and provides an update. The coalition government, consisting of the National Party and the ACT Party, is committed to introducing a five-year renewable parent visa that includes medical costs and a potential public health tax. Significant progress has been made by this Government, particularly in immigration policy. In March, a review of the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) scheme revealed serious issues of immigrant exploitation, prompting immediate adjustments in April.

New Zealand's net migration reached a historical high of 135,000 at the end of 2023, creating unsustainable pressure on communities, schools, healthcare, living costs, and inflation. The Minister of Immigration is prioritising improvements to the AEWV and local labour market testing to reduce unemployment risks among New Zealanders. Many changes are a return to pre-pandemic policies, balancing business needs with broader national interests.

The Minister and Immigration New Zealand are also reviewing other visa types, including student, resident, Recognised Seasonal Employer, and migrant investor visas. The Parent Boost Visa, a new category, will take time to develop policies and IT systems for applications. The government is dedicated to creating balanced policies to attract skilled immigrants while ensuring sustainable social development.

最近，我在社交媒体上看到一些关于国家党在大选期间推出的Parent Boost Visa（父母超级签证）政策的讨论。许多人好奇，为什么在国家党领导的政府执政六个月后，新西兰移民局或移民部长还没有推出具体政策。在这里，我想向大家更新目前的情况。

国家党联合政府由三个政党组成。根据国家党与行动党的联合协议，我们的政府承诺引入一个为期五年、可续签的父母签证类别，其条件包括承担医疗费用，并考虑收取公共医疗费用税。这意味着签证必须推出，与联合协议里的其他承诺一样，必须推出。

我想强调，自从国家党执政的六个月以来，我们在各个领域，特别是移民政策方面取得了显著进展。今年3月，移民部长Erica Stanford收到公共服务委员会对信誉雇主工作签证（AEWV）计划的审查结果。报告指出了严重问题，特别是从2022年10月到2023年6月，新西兰移民局没有进行适当的风险评估。这导致了特别严重的移民剥削问题。

移民部长迅速采取行动，保护移民免受剥削。今年4月，部长宣布对AEWV工作签证进行即时调整。尽管国家党政府非常希望继续落实我们所有的政策承诺，但我们必须紧急处理这个问题。正确调整新西兰的移民政策对政府的经济重建计划至关重要。我们必须确保新西兰吸引必要的技能，同时减少移民被剥削的风险。

在2023年末，新西兰的移民数量达到了历史最高水平，净移民人数达到了13.5万人，这一数字是不可持续的。如此大量的移民给新西兰的社区、学校注册、教育水平、医疗、生活成本（包括房租）和通货膨胀等方面带来了巨大压力。因此，部长必须优先处理这个问题，推出一系列变更，主要是改善AEWV工作签证，并确保更好地测试本地劳动力市场，以减少新西兰人失业的风险。许多宣布的变化并不是新政策，而是回归疫情前的政策和规定，平衡企业需求和新西兰的更广泛利益。重要的是，AEWV设置应促进合适的技能临时移民组合，解决新西兰的实际技能和劳动力短缺问题，支持经济重建，并帮助平衡核心基础设施如学校、住房和医疗系统的压力。

此外，移民部长和新西兰移民局还在审查许多其他签证类型，包括学生签证、居民签证、认可的季节性雇主签证、移民投资者签证以及进一步的AEWV变更——这些也是国家党做出的大选承诺，都需要时间来实施。父母超级签证将是一个全新的签证类别，需要时间来起草详细政策和修改IT系统以便进行申请。再次重申一次，父母超级签证是政府联合协议里的承诺之一，并已列入工作计划。

我衷心感谢大家的耐心和理解。国家党政府正在努力制定一个平衡各方利益的政策，确保新西兰能够吸引高技能移民，同时保持社会的可持续发展。

The Significance of the 2024 Budget's Tax Relief for You and Your Family 2024年预算的税收减免对您及您家庭的意义

The National Party coalition government’s 2024 budget provides much-needed tax relief to hardworking New Zealanders, aiming to improve current circumstances and work towards a better future. I am very proud to be part of a government team that offers crucial tax relief during the cost of living crisis. Over the past six years, people's hard-earned money has been increasingly wasted under the Labour government, whose achievements have been minimal. Labour’s record shows annual government spending increasing with decreasing effectiveness. Our tax plan is a core commitment of the National Party to reduce living costs for New Zealand families, enabling them to keep more of their hard-earned money.

国家党联合政府的2024年预算为辛勤工作的新西兰民众带来了急需的税收减免，目的是改善目前情况并往更好的方向发展。我非常自豪能成为这个在生活成本危机中向工作人群提供关键税收减免的政府团队的一员。在过去六年中，民众辛苦挣得的钱在工党政府的管理下日益浪费，而工党的政绩却微乎其微。看看工党的记录就清楚，他们的年度政府开支不断增加，但成效却逐年减少。我们的税收方案是国家党减轻新西兰家庭生活成本的核心承诺，目的是让他们能保留更多自己辛苦赚来的钱。

Real-Life Examples 真实生活影响例子

Last Thursday evening, during a parliamentary debate on adjusting personal income tax brackets, I mentioned a message I received from a family in Pakuranga. They informed me that due to the tax bracket adjustments, their family would receive an annual tax relief of $3029. This money will allow them to consider additional extracurricular activities for their two children and possibly arrange a zoo visit. I thank them for sharing their story and appreciate their willingness to highlight the positive impact of the 2024 budget on their family.

上周四晚上，我在国会进行了关于调整个人所得税税级的法案辩论。在辩论中，我特别提到了当天傍晚收到的一则信息，这是来自Pakuranga的一户家庭发来的截图和消息。这位民众向我表达，由于此次税级调整，她的家庭一年将获得$3029纽币的税务补助。这笔钱将使她考虑为两个孩子增加课外活动，并可能安排他们去动物园。在此，我再次感谢这位民众分享的信息，并感激她愿意讲述2024年预算对她家庭的积极影响。

To further clarify how these changes will affect you, here are some examples 为了让您更清楚这些变化将如何影响您，这里还有一些例子：

-  A family with a moderate income and two children in kindergarten: If your household income is $125,000 per year and you spend $600 every two weeks on childcare, you will gain approximately $252 every two weeks, or about $6552 per year.

年收入中等并有两个孩子在幼儿园的家庭：如果您的家庭年收入共计$12.5万纽币，您每两周在儿童保育上的开支为$600，那么您将每两周多获得大约$252，每年约$6552。

- A couple with four children: If you and your partner have four children, with two in ECE, and an annual income of $140,000, and you spend $600 every two weeks on childcare, you will gain about $271 every two weeks, or $7042 per year.

四个孩子的夫妇：如果您和您的伴侣有四个孩子，其中两个在接受ECE，你们的年收入为$140,000，同时您们每两周在儿童保育上的开支为$600，那么您们将每两周多获得大约$271，或年增加$7,042。

The 2024 Budget 2024年预算

From 31^st July 2024, personal income tax brackets will be adjusted for the first time since 2010. These changes aim to reduce your tax burden, ensuring you can keep more of your hard-earned money.

These tax cuts are fully funded by savings and revenue measures. The National Party government ensures that this relief will not increase inflation pressure or require additional borrowing. By reallocating resources, cutting low-value activities, and implementing cost-saving measures, the government has responsibly managed to provide this significant tax relief.

从2024年7月31日起，个人所得税税级将首次自2010年以来进行调整。这些变化旨在减轻您的税收负担，确保您能保留更多的辛苦赚来的钱。

这些税收减是完全由节约和收入措施资助。国家党政府确保这种减免不会增加通货膨胀压力或需要额外借款。通过重新分配资源、从低价值活动中调配并实施节约成本措施，政府已负责任地管理提供了这一重大税收减免。

Key Tax Policies几个重要的税务政策：

Additional Support for Families: Beyond adjusting tax brackets, the 2024 budget enhances several tax credits to provide extra support, especially for low to middle-income families.

为家庭提供额外支持 —— 除了税级调整外，2024年预算增强了几项税收抵免，以为特别是处于低收入至中等收入阶层的家庭提供额外支持。

Independent Earner Tax Credit (IETC): Independent earners with an annual income of up to $70,000 are eligible for the IETC, receiving up to $20 every two weeks. This change will benefit an additional 420,000 people, providing financial relief to those not receiving other government support.

独立收入者税收抵免 (IETC) —— 年收入高达7万纽币的独立收入者有资格获得独立收入者税收抵免，每两周最多可获得$20。这一变化意味着将有额外的42万人受益于这项税收抵免，为那些不接受其他政府支持的人提供财务减轻。

In-Work Tax Credit (IWTC): Families with dependent children where one or both parents are working will see the IWTC increase by up to $50 every two weeks. This will benefit around 160,000 families, offering additional financial support to help balance work and child-rearing costs.

在职工作税收抵免 (IWTC) —— 有依赖子女的家庭，其中一方或双方父母有工作，将看到在职工作税收抵免每两周增加至多$50。这将惠及约16万个家庭，提供额外的财务支持，帮助父母在平衡工作和抚养子女成本时获得帮助。

Early Childhood Education Cost Rebate: For families with children in Early Childhood Education (ECE), the new Family Boost payment will be a significant help. Families with an annual income below $180,000 can claim up to 25% of their ECE costs, with those earning below $140,000 eligible for up to $150 every two weeks. This measure is expected to benefit about 100,000 families, making early childhood education more affordable.幼儿教育费用补助——对于有幼儿在接受早期儿童教育 (ECE) 的家庭来说，新的家庭提升支付将是一个重大帮助。如果您的家庭年收入在$18万纽币以下，您可以申请退还高达25%的ECE幼儿教育费用，对于年收入在$14万以下的家庭，每两周最高可退$150。这一措施预计将惠及约10万个家庭，使早期儿童教育更加负担得起。

New Zealanders have shown strong interest in understanding how these changes will impact them, with over 240,000 visits to the tax calculator website within 18 hours of the budget release. This tool helps you see the expected tax relief you can anticipate. To learn more about how you and your family will benefit, visit the tax calculator website at www.budget.govt.nz/taxcalculator.

新西兰民众对了解这些变化如何影响他们显示出浓厚的兴趣，预算发布后18小时内，税收计算器网站的访问量超过240,000次。这个工具可以帮助您精确地看到您可以期待的税收减免。高访问量突显了新西兰人急于了解这些调整的个人影响。要详细了解您和您家庭将如何受益，请访问税收计算器网站 www.budget.govt.nz/taxcalculator。

A Positive Financial Change Toward a Better Future 结论：一个积极的财务变化，并向更好的未来发展

The 2024 budget's tax relief measures are designed to bring substantial changes to your daily life. By adjusting income tax brackets and enhancing targeted tax credits, the government helps you keep more money, providing immediate financial relief. This budget also ensures a brighter financial future for all New Zealanders, helping our economy back on track.

2024年预算的税收减免措施旨在为您的日常生活带来实质性的变化。通过调整所得税税级和增强目标税收抵免，政府帮助您保留更多的钱，提供即时的财务减轻。这份预算也确保所有新西兰人的更明亮的财务未来，帮助我们的经济“重回正轨”。