A leading Christchurch retailer says the Budget will make life difficult for the retail sector.
Richard Ballantyne is executive director of the department store Ballantynes, one of the largest retail businesses in central Christchurch.
Ballantynes' central city store is in the cordoned-off red zone, but the company intends to repair and reopen it by November this year.
Mr Ballantyne says on balance, he thinks it is a very well-constructed Budget, but it is likely to have a negative impact on the retail sector.
He says the Government's intent is to increase people's savings relative to consumption, but that will see consumption decrease and impact on the retail sector for the foreseeable future.