Scott AlastairALASTAIR SCOTT (National—Wairarapa): Thank you Madam Chair. It is with pleasure that I rise to discuss the infrastructure sector but I'd like to comment on a couple of points made by previous speakers. First of all Mr Parker is talking about his tax review but he didn't really explain what those taxes would be. I fear—and I think a lot of other people in the country fear—that the Government is going to lay upon the taxpayer a burden of capital gains tax—Hon Members: Aw!ALASTAIR SCOTT: Oh so it's out of the question then is it? So a capital gains tax is out of the question? Or a wealth tax—what about a wealth tax? Is that out of the question? What about a water tax or a royalty on water? Is that out of the question? Is there going to be a value-add tax so if you live next to a railway station you'll be taxed on the increase that might have occurred because of a rezoning? Is that out of the question? Well none of that is out of the question because this Government is only interested in taxing taxing taxing.Hon Members: Aw!ALASTAIR SCOTT: So rule it out—rule it out. Nothing can be ruled out under the Labour Government.Then we had Ms Lubeck speaking earlier about a situation which I find quite interesting. She talked about a low unemployment rate as if it was a bad thing. We've got less than 5 percent unemployed. That's no accident; that's because of the policies in the economy that are driving people to work and giving people opportunity to work. It is set to fall—it is set to fall further—so Ms Lubeck don't try and talk about an unemployment situation in New Zealand as being terrible. It's not a terrible situation at all. We have a very low unemployment rate.We have in fact one of the highest employment rates in the world. We have had real increases in income in New Zealand—real increases in income. It is not the dreary poor betrodden downtrodden economy that that member likes to picture likes to paint.Marja Lubeck: Ha ha!ALASTAIR SCOTT: She might laugh but you know have a look at the trend. Have a look at the trend: where unemployment has been where employment has been and where it is today. These are good numbers. The economy has been functioning and growing well better than most countries and we should celebrate that—we should celebrate that.Getting on to some of the infrastructure I do want to pick up on something. I'm sort of going to pre-empt something at 4 o'clock—the announcement that the previous speaker was saying—and that is are the regions going to suffer because of this statement that is going to be made today where money is going to be pulled away? We've got Mr Jones in the chair—is money going to be pulled away from the regions to be set into the Auckland transport system? We've already seen a number of regional roading projects that have been stalled or halted or the contractors say Tai ho!"—"Tai ho!" to use Mr Jones' words—"These projects are not going to happen under this Government. We've got other things to do and they're all focused in Auckland." So Mr Jones I'd be interested to hear you talk about what the billion-dollar fund is going to present for the regional roads. We're talking about infrastructure—the regional roads.And while we're on the subject how about regional water infrastructure? Rather than spraying money out in a lolly scramble - type fashion why not invest instead of spending? Rather than donating money to a forestry seedling company why not invest in that company? Why not take a portion of equity in that company? Why not have the taxpayer own some of the infrastructure that Mr Jones will be investing in on behalf of those taxpayers rather than granting it rather than giving it away rather than giving it to his favourite iwi or his favourite roundabout project? It's a suggestion that I'd like to make Mr Jones: invest rather than spend in the infrastructure.I'm going to come back to the point that this economy has been and will continue to be functioning well above the average. We will continue to see a low unemployment rate we will continue to see high employment rates and we will continue to see real incomes rising. But it has nothing—it has not anything to do with what that Government is doing today."