Fiscal forecasts withheld from Labour member

Press, 30 January 1984, Page 8

Fiscal forecasts withheld from Labour member

PA Wellington Treasury forecasts of Government expenditure and revenue for the next three years must remain confidential, the Labour member of Parliament for Miramar, Mr Peter Neilson, has been told. He said yesterday that under the Official Information Act he had sought assessments by officials on the level and composition of the Government expenditure and revenue and deficits in the 1984-85, 1985-86, and 1986-87 financial years. The information was refused, according to a letter to Mr Neilson from the Treasury, because it was an ingredient “in the making of decisions which will lead up to the next Budget.” Another reason for refusal was that the assessments were made on an assumption of future wage levels and that release of the information could pre-

judice the continuing wage negotiations. Mr Neilson, who is chairman of Labour’s caucus economic committee, said that he would ask the Treasury to reconsider its decision and if it did not he would ask the Ombudsman to review it. The forecasts, he said, were submitted to the Minister of Finance, Sir Robert

Muldoon, last year and contained projections of Government revenue and deficits for the first time. “The Labour Party wants the forecasts made available to it to help in its formulation and costing of policy for this year’s election campaign,” Mr Neilson said. “The forecasts contain the best information on the likely future state of the Government’s finances.” Mr Neilson said the forecasts were similar to those made public in Britain, the United States, and Canada. “In declining the release of information, the Treasury claimed that the assessments were provided as policy advice to the Government. This is not an adequate reason ... because I do not seek their policy recommendations but merely the effects on the Government finances assuming the continuation of existing policy,” he said. He also disagreed with the Treasury’s reason relating to wage talks.