Labour and National clashed yesterday over the costing of election promises and whether either party would borrow more to fund them.
National Party finance spokesman Bill English said Labour was adding more big numbers next to the six spending promises that were not part of last week's opening of the books.
If the books looked bad last week, New Zealanders were only being told part of the story.
"Today, Helen Clark has the cheek to suggest that she won't tell the public how she plans to pay for any of them until after the election in a mini-budget.
"She is asking New Zealanders to write her the biggest blank cheque in our political history."
Miss Clark should tell New Zealanders how she planned to fund her parade of new spending announcements, including the big spending plan to introduce universal student allowances, he said.
The public had a right to know whether the tax-cut programme would be cancelled or if there would be bigger deficits and more borrowing for longer, he said.
Prime Minister Helen Clark told the Otago Daily Times she had been "right up front" with the public, outlining a plan to survive the international financial crisis - something to which National Party leader John Key appeared oblivious.
The plan included what needed to be brought forward to create some "job rich" initiatives that were planned for but not on the horizon.
She was critical of Mr Key for releasing an 11-point plan at his campaign launch without any costings of any of the policies.
"I suspect either they will add to borrowings or there will be things in government spending they will want to hack to put pet priorities into action," Miss Clark said.
Labour had announced a plan to deal with the crisis that was sweeping the world while Mr Key had been sleeping on the job, she said.
