Winston wants taxpayers to fund an insurer
Opinion: The last thing we need is taxpayers having to fund an insurance company.
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Hawke’s Bay
NewstalkZB reports:
Winston Peters is renewing his call for a state-owned insurance company.
It comes as the country’s largest insurance company – IAG – looks to move more than 100 jobs from Christchurch to the Philippines.
The Deputy Prime Minister says the country needs a domestic competitor because the market is dominated by offshore ownership.
“[We have] excessive premiums and a loss of jobs to other countries, and this will go on until we make a stand and say ‘well we should have our own insurance company’.”
More economic insanity.
We have dozens or scores of insurers in New Zealand. Huge choice and variety. I’m with a New Zealand-owned insurer – AA. It has good prices and service. It's not the only one. Trade Me has an insurance company, The Warehouse has an insurance company. Consumer lists 17 insurance companies that do house and contents insurance.
Mr Peters also argues New Zealand needs a government-owned insurance company
Peters says jobs going offshore are eroding our own economy but National MP Gerry Brownlee is warning people not to jump on an emotional bandwagon about a state-owned insurance company.
The last thing we need is taxpayers having to fund an insurance company.
We already lost $1.5 billion bailing out AMI after the Canterbury earthquakes and I can think of a lot of better ways to spend $1.5 billion.
Also, Kiwibank does insurance already.
Mr Peters also says he's unhappy with jobs being outsourced but many New Zealand companies have callcentres overseas and it's not the job of the government to force them to shift them back to New Zealand.
David Farrar is a commentator and political activist, and this post first appeared on his blog, Kiwiblog
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Winston wants taxpayers to fund an insurer
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