News

A team of University of Otago Students has won the 2012 Alternative Budget Competition.

The competition, sponsored by the Independent Policy Institute, required students to develop their own national budget in the lead-up to the Government’s announcement of the 2012/2013 budget last Thursday.

Final year law students Nathan Blane, Oliver Hornbrook and Kishen Kaurah flew to Auckland to present their budget to a panel of judges at the Auckland University Business School on 22 May.

The team placed first, receiving a prize of $3500 and beating the three other University of Auckland teams that had made the final round.
Hornbrook told Critic, “We’re pretty ecstatic. It vindicated the fact that decent ideas and innovative ideas won over good speakers.”
Hornbook said he entered because “it looked interesting. It was the opportunity to present what you think the government should put in the budget to achieve the measures they so often try to achieve, but without any political considerations. So not caring about getting re-elected, but more about getting results.”

The team’s budget included the introduction of a capital gains tax, means-tested superannuation, the introduction of public-private partnerships and the incentivisation of student loans. Critic can only speculate as to how many Auckland streets would be clogged with protesting students if, in an unconstitutional twist, the winning team’s budget were imposed on the nation.