[USA here]
Interesting, $52k sounds like a rounding error. But how bad do the official lodgings suck if he wants to live in an apartment?
this post was submitted on 06 Mar 2024
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Pretty grody, by the sound of it.
To me it sounds dated, like a 70s house or so. It was good enough for the last PM and her kid. I'm sure it's tired and a bit cold, but nothing worse than a lot of renters put up with.
No insulation etc is pretty bad, it's not that hard to fit double glazing. It does seem to me the place is due for a big renovation.
Oh I have no doubt about that. And I've flatted in Dunedin, so I know what those old shitbox houses can be like. I think the point of all this is that it's dated and needs work, but isn't unlivable.
Of Luxon had come out and said "my bad, I didn't really think about it as it's one of the entitlements of the job, but now that it's been brought up you're right I don't need the allowance. Why am I not staying in the Premier House? I just find my own apartment more comfortable is all", I honestly reckon it would have been a 24h story.
From what I understand its a couple of nights a week while he's in Wellington for say cabinet meetings, or a session in the house. Its much more like a hotel you go to regularly than an actual house.
But, its basically a tax free allowance of NZ$52k, I think I saw someone calculate it out as being around NZ$80k that a regular person would need to earn to have that much money after tax.* In terms of the cost to the taxpayer its nothing, the issue is that it was basically a rort, because the actual cost to himself for that mortgage free apartment is nowhere near the $52k - and we have to pay for the upkeep of the Prime Ministerial apartment whether he uses it or not. He was also the first Prime MInister in about 30 years to claim the benefit; and in that time there's been a couple who also owned their own homes in Wellington but didn't claim it.
His claim is that the official lodgings are really bad, but he won't let any media in to take footage of it to see how bad it really is; and just over a year ago Jacinda Ardern lived there when she was in Wellington often with her toddler child - so the assumption is that it can't be that bad. One suggestion I heard was that his private apartment doesn't have to keep a register of guests so he could meet with anyone there. But I think the truth is that he's just a classic rich ex-ceo, book every expense against the company (or now the country) and milk the job for all its worth while you're there.
*This is more than the median wage in New Zealand, so its a pittance for a guy worth millions like Luxon, but a lot of money for a regular Kiwi.
Lucky for him, this has been overtaken by the story about not reigning in Seymour for attacking the media and academics for being big meanies about him.
Honestly it's just utter non stop chaos right now.
This guy is such an entitled prick.
Look he's just entitled to the entitlements man, what could he do - its his entitlement, he's entitled to it.