Nicola Willis has once again shown her promises are based on ghost families, with less than half registering for the FamilyBoost payments.

“FamilyBoost has seen just 39,664 registrations – well short of the 100,000 promised by Nicola Willis at the Budget and last week,” Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said.

“It’s clear National wants to make it difficult for anyone to actually get this money by making it a rebate. It’s a bureaucratic nightmare – with busy parents having to find invoices or proof of payment from childcare centres and claim back the money themselves from IRD.

“It means people must be able to afford the childcare in the first place, making thousands of families ineligible.

“Halloween has come early for the National Party as Nicola Willis’ ghost families that do not exist strike again.

“This is just further proof National has overcooked its tax policy.

“Nicola Willis said for months the average family would get $250 per week then she was forced to reveal it was fewer than 3000.

“It was disingenuous to promise huge tax relief to families, simply using made up data and not deliver it. To then use ghost families to try to sell the actual tax package is dishonest.

“National should have made the policy universal rather than a rebate, otherwise it isn’t the relief for families struggling with the cost of living that Nicola Willis claims it is.

“These FamilyBoost numbers are just another failure for National’s tax plan,” Barbara Edmonds said.