Ayesha Verrall, whose conflicted sister in law was the subject of a grovelling apology from the Ministry of Health to the minister for their failure to notify the conflict of interest, has copped another one in the chook after the Auditor-General declined to investigate the Government’s decision to cut excise tax on heated tobacco products.
The Auditor-General will not investigate the Government’s decision to cut excise tax on heated tobacco products, declining Labour health spokeswoman Dr Ayesha Verrall’s request.
In a letter released today, Deputy Controller and Auditor-General Andrew McConnell explained how his office could examine whether the Government had followed the appropriate process in making a decision, but couldn’t assess the merits of the decision.
“The decision by the Government to reduce the amount of excise tax on a particular product is a policy choice for the Government to make, and it is not within our mandate to question or examine it,” the letter read.
Earlier this year, Cabinet agreed to set aside a contingency of $216 million as Associate Health Minister Casey Costello, who is responsible for smoking regulation reform, sought to halve the excise tax on heated tobacco products (HTPs) in her attempt to encourage smokers to quit.
Verrall and some public health officials had been critical of the decision and questioned Costello’s claim HTPs were safer than cigarettes.
NZ Herald
