This is what the Treasury officials have to say about the raiding of next year's kitty. They say the Government will have $2.5 billion available to meet all other cost pressures and initiatives in next year's Budget, but with the possibility of higher than normal cost pressures, because of the persistent inflation, it may be challenging to meet those costs. So what next? Well, the Government could reprioritise existing services—we know how allergic they are to that—they could increase tax, or they could increase debt. So what we know is that this Budget puts New Zealand books even further into debt, because, not content with delaying surplus until 2025, it may now be pushed out further, with debt soaring even higher than 40 percent of GDP. So much for leaving a buffer for a rainy day.