| WELLINGTON - National Party leader Don Brash unveiled his party’s novel immigration-tax break policy yesterday in a bid to win the nerdy socially inept professional male vote. National are pledging tax break incentives to those males who increase immigration numbers by marrying from overseas. “Professional men with no time to look for a suitable bride can make use of a popular method of choosing ones bride from the 1980’s,” said Brash. The method, known somewhat crassly twenty years ago as mail-bride ordering, will allow businessmen and other men that spend too much time with their mothers to claim back on costs of air-fares, English lessons and up to $NZ700 in tailored suites from South-East Asia when choosing a new bride to bring back to New Zealand. It is estimated the tax breaks will be very popular. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters referred to the policy as a novel way of increasing immigration numbers. “It will also keep out those terrorist families that plot with Allah and Saddam to blow all Kiwis and our way of life to kingdom-come in their downtown Auckland temples and taxis,” he said. Not everyone is happy with the promise, however. Ukrainian Ambassador Vladimir Ripimov has called the policy “a slap in the face to all Ukrainians” - a sentiment shared by other nations of the former Soviet Bloc. “We have for years operated a very popular mail order bride industry and this focus on Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines is a slap in the face to every man who has imported one of our lovely brides for their pleasure,” he said. He said the Ukrainian government would further postpone repayment of the debt it has owed to New Zealand for $75 million in butter since 1991 if a National government were to implement such a policy. Brash has said that former Soviet mail order bride companies are blighted with scams and women returning to marry with their male "cousins" in tow. |
| National Immigration Policy Slap in Face to Ukrainians |
Wednesday, 03 August 2005 18:52
