I had this debate over on Jordan’s once.

He claimed the welfare vote in 1999 was $14b and it is $16b today.

You socialists, full of made up figures. He tried to tell me that $16B was a decrease in real terms as well….

I calculated what I called a GBP (Gross beneficiary price) for him. Based on circa 400,000 beneficiaries in 1999 & 280,000 in 2006. This makes an increase from $35,000. (GBP in 1999) to $57,142. (GBP in 2007) an increase of 63%.

http://jtc.blogs.com/just_left/2007/01/the_state_of_so.html#comment-28496704

If you feel you can say Yes! ?? then look again with the same insight that Lindsay Mitchell would apply, if you can still say Yes then know that you are a lesser person..

Aprt from Superannuation, the benefit budget is decreasing:

In nominal terms the cost of non-super benefits in 2006 was $6 billion, in 2003: $6 billion

In real terms, 2006: $6 billion, 2003 $6.7 billion.

In real per capitia terms, in 2006: $1437, 2003: $1662

That’s a 14% decrease in real per capitia expenditure in just four years.

The decreased benefit numbers from 2003 to 2006 saved NZ $2 billion.

I don’t have the figures to go back to 1999, but we know that the trend would continue.

Just imagine trying to get information like this published before the days of blogs !