This morning, he told a business breakfast that the expected level of Government debt had been slashed dramatically by the Treasury, given New Zealand's strong economic bounce-back. Robertson said that in September last year, officials expected the Government's overall level of debt to jump from the pre-pandemic roughly 20 per cent range, to 48 per cent in 2034. But new data from the Treasury, released by Robertson this morning, shows that figure is now expected to be 36.5 per cent. He would not give away much about the Government's impending housing announcements in the budget – only that it would build on the Government's current housing programme. Looking ahead to this year's Budget, Robertson was careful to not promise a lolly scramble.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 08, 2021 18:56 UTC