Watts SimonSIMON WATTS (National—North Shore): Thank you very much Mr Speaker. It is a pleasure as the member of Parliament for North Shore and part of the National Party to talk on the Taxation (Cost of Living Payments) Bill first reading.For those watching at home we've only received this bill within the last half hour to 45 minutes or so so you will appreciate that most of this is pretty new. But when you look through this bill this Government has had a significant amount of time to put together a piece of legislation to deal with a cost of living crisis that has been impacting Kiwis across this country for a very long time. But when you get into the detail of this bill—and I'm looking forward to future stages and I look across there to the Minister Parker—there has not been much detail done on this bill. And that indicates to me—it indicates to those watching at home and those stakeholders who have not been consulted on this bill—that this has been put together in a rush. These guys are panicking. They are seeing the numbers on the walls they can see the polling data and they have worked out Surprise surprise we've got nothing in our tool kit which deals with the cost of living crisis." And that is a big issue for them.So what is their solution? Well you'd think let's do something of substance. Let's do something that's actually going to impact those individuals across this country that are just so heavily impacted those ones that are struggling to pay their mortgage as a result of interest rates increasing by 2 percent those that are paying a lot more at the pump or those that are paying a lot more for food when they do their weekly shop with groceries. So what this Government have decided to do is they've decided to do a bit of a lolly scramble a bit of a sugar hit and say "Here you go. Here's $27 a week $350 one-off that's it. By the way we're going to take away the other benefits we've given you around extending the fuel excise and halving public transport fees probably in the future. We'll do this as a bit of a carry over and good luck."Well I tell you what I've probably only had about 45 minutes to look at this bill but I've had enough time to look at a one-way flight to Sydney and you know how much that is Mr Speaker? On 1 August when this bill comes into effect it's $300. So I tell you what they've got $50 to buy a packet of cashew nuts when they get to the shop at Auckland Airport before they leave this country in the brain drain which will result because Kiwis no longer have confidence in this country being able to deliver for them and that is because of that Government over on that side.I tell you what for the ones that decide not to leave to go to Australia on 1 August they're going to use this money to buy 9 litres of petrol every week for their Toyota Corolla. That's all it pays for: 20 percent of a tank of fuel. That is absolutely nothing for these things. Or maybe they might decide "I'm going to go into the supermarket and with my $27 I'll buy one block of tasty cheese and I'll buy three litres of milk." That is it.And when you look at the criteria of this bill—and I can tell you what this Government have not done the detail and I'm not surprised because they are not over the detail. They do not have the capability in this space and it is coming out of this bill like you would not believe. The criteria is pretty much undefined. I'm looking forward to the future stages to be able to question the Minister around actually what information does Inland Revenue have in order for them to be able to assess the criteria for these payments to be made by 1 August? I'll let you in to a little bit of a secret: they haven't got all the information required in order to make those payments by 1 August. That's why they're waiting for 1 August because they can't make it happen tomorrow. They have not got all the criteria and information and the data required and that is because they've just worked out this policy pretty much last week. That is the type of lack of planning from this Government and this bill personifies the attitude on that side of the House of a Government out of touch; a Government not willing to listen to Kiwis. They haven't even consulted on this taxation bill with people outside of Government. What is going on? It is a band-aid Budget and Kiwis are going backwards.I had a look at the eligibility and of course you have to according to this—and I'll go into a little of that later on—earn under 70 grand a year to qualify. Well there is 495000 Kiwis who earn between $70000 and $100000. And what about that point that was made by the ACT member before around the fact that "low to middle income" has not even been defined by Treasury? This is an absolute scam. It is not dealing with what the title of the bill says around impacting and benefiting low to middle income New Zealand. It excludes a whole lot of people. The criteria actually will end up to say that actually a large number aren't going to get it.And then they have to work out both New Zealand tax resident and present in New Zealand. So what does that mean? Does that mean I can't go on holiday for three months? Does that mean if I've all of a sudden gone over to Australia on the day that this is eligible I can't get the payment? Have you seriously thought through this bill? No they haven't; they've made it up last week. That is what's happening in this country.We have got a Government that is making up as they go along. And you know what? That is such a huge disgrace for my children and for my grandchildren that will inherit the significant amount of growing debt by this Government sitting around 41 percent before you adjust it to the lower number that looks a lot better. They are going to inherit that. Total borrowings have clicked over $200 billion. That is the legacy of a Government who are spending like there is no tomorrow. That is the legacy of a finance Minister—Grant Robertson—who is addicted to spending. And you know what? When you're addicted to something you can't get off it. And he is going to keep on spending all day long. And that is a real concern. That is a concern for hard-working Kiwis like the people in my electorate of the North Shore or down in Southland at the bottom of the South Island or Invercargill or in Auckland Central or wherever you are across the country—Hon Carmel Sepuloni: What about South Auckland and West Auckland are they hard-working as well?SIMON WATTS: —because those Kiwis are hard-working and they are not going to benefit.And of course I can hear the Minister over there yapping on about something. I can't hear her in detail but I'll read the criteria because who are not eligible or qualify for this payment of course include sole parent support those on the jobseeker support student hardship emergency benefit superannuitants all those individuals are excluded from this $27 a week payment. So on the outside this looks like a really nice thing to do but I tell you what when you scratch the surface—like what you do when any of you any time you scratch the surface on this Government's policy—the truth comes out. And what we can see is this is a policy that is not going to deliver the benefits required for middle New Zealand and those that are squeezed so hard.What is so disappointing is again the fact that this has been so poorly planned. And we have had a long opportunity and chance in order to be ready for today. It is no surprise that we face a cost of living crisis in this country. We have had ample opportunity to consult to engage to listen to be informed by Kiwis in terms of what they are facing in terms of the challenges that they face day in day out. But have that side of the Government used the time that they have been given to do the simple task of getting out of their offices in Wellington and listening to hard-working Kiwis? Well the simple answer is no. And this bill proves the fact that they have not done their job.We've mentioned in terms of where we could be today if they had only taken on some of the advice around National's economic plan: a plan that takes into account fiscal responsibility a sensible and pragmatic plan that puts money in the back pockets of hard-working Kiwis a plan that will actually benefit those across this country who are contributing a significant amount. But they have squandered that opportunity and that is a great great issue in itself.I want to end with a fact that the spending today was in the region of $6.5 billion of increased spending—increasing to $7.5 billion next year. That is an absolutely horrific scale of expenditure. And the challenge is that will not deliver the outcomes that Kiwis in this country deserve and that's why National oppose this bill."