National mistaken, says Mr Moore

Press, 29 June 1987, Page 3

National mistaken, says Mr Moore

PA Wellington The Minister of Overseas Trade, Mr Moore, says the National Party’s promise of continuing the Export Market Development taxation incentive in its agricultural policy must be a misJWce. Kfrmers had ' never received it and big ex-

porters like the Dairy, Apple and Pear, and Meat boards did not pay tax. - “They can’t get a tax incentive,” he said. National had agreed to phase out the export incentives when it signed an exchange of letters with the United States Administration, Mr “I was reluctant to phase out incentives and

tried to find other avenues. In fact, we extended the scheme so that E.M.D.T.I. will not be phased out until 1990, despite National’s earlier promise.” None of the producer boards paid tax, he said. This meant they received no benefits under the E.M.D.T.L - - > “Grants under the $2O

million The Individual Exporter Programme which are payable in addition to the E.M.D.T.I. are accessible to boards and individual farmers if they are marketing the product overseas.

“Therefore we have given resources to farmers that were denied the£“ under National,” said Mr Moore.