Key John: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Key John: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:619;Page:15164] 
11.  
JOHN KEY (National—Helensville) 
 to the  
Minister of Finance 
: What is the cumulative nominal increase in all taxes received since 1999? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Acting Minister of Finance) 
: 
 The nominal increase in all taxes since 1999 is $12.793 billion an increase of 38.6 percent. 
John Key 
: Does the Minister know that every one of the three million individual taxpayers in New Zealand will on average pay an additional $2800 in tax in 2004 compared to when Labour came into office in 1999; and if he does know why will he not do something about it given that he must also be aware of the substantial price increases New Zealanders are facing today? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I do have a breakdown of the PAYE versus company tax with me. I have not gone to the particular figure and done the division sum necessary to confirm the figures but is it not wonderful that so many New Zealanders who were not working previously are now working paying tax getting health care and education and putting money away in a superannuation fund in the way that that member wants to but that other member does not. 
John Key 
: Does the Minister agree with the Prime Minister’s admission this morning that the 1999 Labour pledge that only 5 percent of all taxpayers will pay the top personal rate has been well and truly broken now that 12 percent of all taxpayers pay the top rate; if so will he do something about it? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: The member might have forgotten but in 2002 there was an election with a different manifesto. 
John Key 
: Does the Minister agree with the Prime Minister’s statement this morning that: “In the end you have to weigh up whether you’re going to give tax cuts or keep pouring the benefit back into services the public like want deserve and should have.” in which case does his Government’s definition of “services the public like want deserve and should have” include programmes such as hip-hop tours $21 million worth of advertising propaganda around the Budget and slush funds for polytechnics; and is he telling the House that he will be funding even more of those programmes going forward? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: There were three questions there. Two may be answered. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I think there were five actually. The answers are yes no yes no and no. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I seek leave to table question for written answer No. 10790 of 17 August asked by my colleague Peter Brown which sets out the facts behind this case which TVNZ decided to interview the National Party about when the evidence came out. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that. Is there any objection? There is. 
John Key 
: I seek leave to table the same question the Rt Hon Winston Peters sought to table so that the Minister of Finance can see that the cumulative increase in taxes was not $12 billion—it was $34 billion. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member sought leave to table the same question that the House has just denied leave to table. However I shall put the question again. Does anyone object? There is objection. That leave is denied.