New Zealand raised the minimum wage and raised …

New Zealand raised the minimum wage and raised taxes for the richest, both measures in effect Thursday It is part of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s efforts Fighting inequality and boosting the economy after the impact of COVID-19. After holding a meeting with his government, Ardern emphasized this These measures “represent real and long-awaited improvements in the support we provide to our most vulnerable populations”.

With the changes made by Ardern, The new minimum wage increases from NZ $ 18.90 to NZ $ 20 an hour, Which is a measure that is part of their main electoral promises and that 175,000 people will benefit from it. Also from this Thursday Raise the tax cap to 39 percent of income for people with incomes over NZ $ 180,000, When before the cap was 33 per cent. The measure is expected to affect 2% of taxpayers.

Increase the minimum wageWhich is affecting many key workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, The unions praised it despite being criticized by the companies who stated that they had not yet been able to recover from the economic damage Left behind by the epidemic, which has led to various lockdowns, especially in the city of Auckland.

“These measures are specifically taken when nearly a thousand companies have closed recentlyThe opposition leader said on Wednesday that many in the hospitality sector in particular are telling us that they can no longer afford the increases because they are having trouble paying the rents. Judith Collins, For TVNZ.

According to data from the New Zealand Ministry of Social Development, companies in the country have hired more employees since the start of the year, although they are still There are more than 200,000 people receiving unemployment benefits, Nearly 60,000 more than it was in mid-March, when the epidemic began.

New Zealand, Which closed its borders to curb the epidemic and ordered one of the most severe closures in the world in March when it only had 50 cases, There is an accumulation of 2,141 injuries and 26 deaths due to Covid-19 in a country of five million people.

last Saturday The prime minister has ordered to re-restrict Auckland, the country’s largest city, due to the emergence of a new case of coronavirus. The rest of the country is subject to restrictions, such as a limit for gatherings of worshipers to 100 and a requirement to wear masks on public transport. Ardern believes the pandemic is evolving because citizens are not taking the necessary precautions nonetheless Its management against Coronavirus has been praised internationally.