Cost of living payment: Foreign property investors received first portion of money

The Government is refusing to apologise for potentially losing millions of dollars sending its cost of living payment to people overseas, Newshub reports. It comes amid revelations foreign property investors are among those who’ve received the free cash. One tax agent claims two clients in China, who have Queenstown rental properties but have never lived in New Zealand, got the first $116 payment. Screening tests put in place before the second payment indicate there are 31,000 people overseas who got the first payment, but potentially shouldn’t have.