Catchpole Brent: Customs and Excise (Motor Spirits) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Catchpole Brent: Customs and Excise (Motor Spirits) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:623;Page:18617] 
BRENT CATCHPOLE (NZ First) 
: 
 I have listened to the arguments about this legislation. Rick Barker the Minister of Customs said his little piece and it was clear that he did not understand the bill. I am quite sure that he had no involvement in drafting it; Michael Cullen has obviously been the one behind it. This bill brings in another tax on the motorist. We in New Zealand First want to make it clear that we are opposed to a further tax on the motorist. This measure is not necessary. The Government collects approximately $700 million from the motorist every year that is not spent on the roads. 
We in New Zealand First suggest that the Government looks hard at where that money is going because that money could be going towards the roads. It could be going towards relieving the problems right throughout the country. In Canterbury there are a number of roads that are desperately needed to unclog the rush hour traffic. The same goes for Wellington for Tauranga and—in an even bigger way—for the largest city of New Zealand Auckland. In Auckland the traffic grinds to a halt not just for an hour but for 3 to 4 hours in the morning and again in the afternoon. That means that the ports cannot operate properly. The Minister should have a look at this bill. He does not need to charge the motorist an extra 5.6c per litre of petrol. The motorist does not need it. Along with the high oil prices this measure is another kick in the teeth for motorists. The Minister does not need to add on this tax. He has $700 million per year that could be put towards roading. 
Let us have a look at some of the roads that are desperately needed. The Albany to Puhoi realignment B2 (ALPURT B2) which Maurice and Lockwood Smith were talking about— 
Hon Rick Barker 
: Maurice? 
BRENT CATCHPOLE 
: Maurice Williamson not the Morris car. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Order! 
BRENT CATCHPOLE 
: I was responding to the Minister. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: You must not use nicknames. 
BRENT CATCHPOLE 
: Maurice Williamson and Lockwood Smith both referred to ALPURT B2. It is a road that should have been completed; it has been in the pipeline for more than 10 years now. Five of those years were spent under the National Government and we are now into the sixth year of this Government. The Labour Government has seen that the road is required and the Environment Court said that the road had to be completed and out of the centre of Orewa by December 2003. That deadline was extended by 1 more year. At this stage that particular intersection is outside the realms of what the resource consent allowed. 
The Government needs to get serious about the roads and put money into the roads as it is needed. My colleague Peter Brown got the Minister of Finance Michael Cullen to admit that he was going to defer the enactment date of this legislation because the extra 5.6c per litre tax on petrol would look very bad in an election year. The Minister wrongly identified that this provision would come into effect on 1 April of this year. It will not; the Minister knows that. It is up to Dr Cullen to decide when it is expedient to introduce the extra tax. I tell members that it will not be expedient to do so before this election. So why then are we putting this extra tax on petrol if it is to be deferred until after the election? It is not necessary. The Government has the $700 million. It should spend it on the roads and spend it now in order to make sure that the roading system is up to the standard needed in this new millennium. 
I take issue with United Future. It claims to be against a tax on a tax yet it is supporting this legislation which includes a provision to put GST on a further petrol tax. That is another tax on a tax. I thought United Future was against taxes on taxes but this bill allows for that and United Future supports it. Its members should be ashamed and they know it.